Akbari Pistachios

Iran's longest kernel — 18/20 & 20/22 jumbo

Akbari is the longest and priciest of the Iranian pistachio varieties, and its whole proposition is kernel dimension. Counts run 18/20 and 20/22 per ounce — meaning fewer, larger nuts — with an elongated almond-like shape that is visually distinct from the round Fandoghi types in the same bowl. Grown principally around Kerman and Rafsanjan, it is contracted at moisture ≤ 6%, closed shells kept low because a closed shell is a nut the customer cannot open, and aflatoxin controlled tightly to destination limits. That last point deserves emphasis on pistachios specifically: they are among the highest aflatoxin-risk products in the food trade, EU limits are strict, and Iranian consignments have historically drawn concentrated regulatory attention. Testing regime and lot traceability matter more here than on almost anything else in the nut book.

Buy Akbari where the nut is displayed and the size is the sale: premium retail in clear packs, festive and gifting assortments, Gulf and Iranian diaspora retail, and high-end hotel and restaurant service. Its length reads as premium next to any round variety, which is exactly what a gifting pack is buying. Move to Fandoghi for volume retail and snacking where the customer is eating rather than assessing, and to Kerman if you are supplying markets where Californian origin is preferred or where Iranian sanctions and payment complexity make an alternative origin easier to transact. Roasting and salting is standard for retail; kernels — whole, splits and green pieces — are the input for confectionery and ice cream and price on a different basis entirely. CBIL supplies against certification of size count, moisture, closed-shell percentage, aflatoxin and microbiology, on FOB, CFR and CIF terms.