APG celebrates its record-breaking harvest of One-Billion pounds

American Pistachios Growers (APG) strategically curated an interesting way to give insights about the growing and harvesting processes practiced by growers of pistachios in the United States by hosting a “Virtual Pistachio Harvest Tour” in California’s San Joaquin Valley for Indian media personnel and key food influencers. The event’s primary objective was to showcase the high quality of American pistachios and the high degree of care and food safety that goes into producing and processing them. A leading pistachios grower, Rich Kreps, showcased the harvest process from his pistachio farm in California.

American Pistachio Growers (APG) is a non-profit trade association representing over 800 grower members in California, Arizona, and New Mexico. APG is governed by a democratically elected board of directors who are growers and is funded entirely by growers and independent processors with the shared goal of increasing global awareness of nutritious, American-grown pistachios.

This media event was conducted on the occasion of a historic American Pistachio harvest, expected to be at least one billion pounds (more than twice the amount expected from the Iranian harvest).

To add excitement to the tour, a “Cook Along” with America’s leading chef, baker, and author Nancy Silverton was also organized. Nancy is the winner of the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Chef Award in 2014 and is recognized for her role in popularizing sourdough and artisan bread the world over. She prepared two mouth-watering recipes using American pistachios, which the Indian audiences loved. They also got a chance to speak live with her. The event was anchored by leading Hollywood Celebrity Billy Harris.

Speaking on occasion, Judy Hirigoyen, vice president, Global Marketing of APG, said, “India is a growing market for American pistachios. The volume American pistachio exports to India is growing rapidly as more Indian consumers are getting aware about the health benefits of these amazing nuts. Only recently American pistachios were declared as a Complete Protein which implies that these pistachios will have the same benefits that one would typically find from animal protein sources. This we believe will result in tremendous demand in a primarily vegetarian society like India. American pistachios are also great for Diabetics and Pre-Diabetics, Judy added.”

Commenting on the session, Sumit Saran, India Representative of American Pistachio Growers, said, “India does not produce any pistachios. Traditionally pistachios in India were only used for garnishing but we now see more and more consumers look towards American pistachios as a healthy, anytime snack. People are always looking at plant-based protein sources and American pistachios fit right in,” he added.