California Type Almonds

Carmel, Monterey & Independence — the volume grades

"California type" is a trade classification rather than a single variety, covering Carmel, Monterey, Independence and related cultivars that sit below Nonpareil in price and above the Mission types. The kernels are slightly broader and more variable in shape than Nonpareil, with a harder shell that produces more chipping and scratching in the huller — cosmetic issues that matter in a blanched or slivered product and matter not at all in a roasted, ground or milled one. Sizes run mainly 27/30 and 30/32 per ounce, at moisture ≤ 6%, foreign material ≤ 0.5%, with aflatoxin controlled to destination limits and pasteurisation by steam or PPO as nominated.

This is where the volume of the almond trade actually goes, and the buying logic is simple: pay for Nonpareil only when the kernel's appearance survives into the finished product. Roasted and salted snack lines, almond butter and paste, almond milk and beverage manufacture, flour and meal, energy bars, cereal and granola, and bakery inclusion all destroy or hide the kernel's shape, so the Nonpareil premium buys nothing. Independence deserves a note of its own: it is self-pollinating, which has made it increasingly attractive to growers as bee-hive costs have risen, and its acreage is expanding — so availability and price behaviour on that cultivar may diverge from the rest of the group over time. As with all almonds, confirm the pasteurisation method your destination requires before booking. CBIL supplies against certification of size count, moisture, foreign material, aflatoxin, pasteurisation method and microbiology, on FOB, CFR and CIF terms.