Growing Almonds
If you live in the west, you already know we’re living in significant drought conditions, and all over the world, climate change is causing situations where there is too little water – or too much. One of our core values is to do the least amount of harm to the planet, so let’s get real about one of our favorite nuts.
Based in Oregon, we’re near a primary source of almonds – California - which produces 80% of the world’s almonds and is one of the five regions in the world where almonds can grow. Climate change, however, is making this area prone to drought and water scarcity. In recent years there has been a debate over which industry is using more of California’s allocated water. Almond farmers have taken a lot of the heat over the years, because of their water intensive crops, which use around 10% of the state’s allocated water. The biggest water use in the western states is for beef and dairy cattle which consumes a third of the allocated water. In the Colorado River Basin, it’s over 50%.
It takes 23 gallons of water to produce an ounce of almonds, while it takes 106 gallons of water to produce an ounce of beef. The comparison does not lessen our growing concern over water scarcity and the amount of water it takes to produce almonds, but rather indicates there may be better ways to utilize water in the west. This is another reason why we support plant-based easting which has a lighter water footprint.
You may have noticed a small change in our almonds – they are slightly smaller. We have had to change suppliers, which is a direct result of current drought conditions and our inability to source the almonds we were previously using. However, our almonds will always be organic and soaked and slow roasted to retain their health benefits and flavor. As the west navigates these complicated water issues, we’ll continue to supply our organic almonds and to stay informed of the impacts should conditions worsen.
Sources Used:
National Geographic: Alejandra Borund | 2020
The Guardian: Troy Farah | 2020
Smithsonian Magazine: Corryn Wetzel | 2021
LA Times: Kyle Kim |2015