In the markets we find almonds mainly from the U.S.A. and, in lesser quantity from Spain, all the year round.
Usually, almonds appear in the Spanish market in autumn; nevertheless, they are marketed all the year round. Moreover, with the introduction of new early varieties, harvesting can take place even earlier, in summer. The main import countries of Spanish almonds are Germany, France and Italy, accounting for 90% of the Spanish export. Other markets where we can find Spanish almonds are Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Greece and the United Kingdom.
In the United Kingdom market the availability as follows:
Origin | Availability in the UK markets | Weight of the packages |
Chile | March-August | Various |
Greece | September-May | 25/50kg |
Italy | All the year round | 12,5kg |
Portugal | January-December | Various |
Spain | September-December | 10/12,5/25kg |
Tunisia | July-August | Various |
The USA | According to the market demands | 25Kg |
Source: Fresh Produce Desk Book (1999)
Nevertheless, the first producing country is California (U.S.A.), that produces approximately 75% of the world’s almonds, exporting 64% to countries of the European Union (Germany, Spain and the Netherlands) and 16% to Asia (Japan and China).
Therefore, almonds are found in any market throughout the year, from different origins, either Spanish or American.