The nuts and snack mixes categories have seen slightly diverging fortunes; sales of snack nuts have been down moderately, while trail mixes have risen a bit during the past year. Consumers keep seeking new flavors, more healthful options, and convenience. At the same time, producers are facing challenges like tariffs, higher prices, labor issues, and availability of water and other resources.

Market data
Data from Circana for the 52 weeks ending May 18, 2025 show that sales in the snack nuts category fell modestly (0.8%) to a little more than $6.5 billion. Private label made up nearly half of that total, at nearly $3.2 billion in sales (up 2.0%). The top-selling brands were:

• Wonderful: $985.5 million, down 3.0%
• Hormel Foods: $882.2 million, down 8.5%
• Blue Diamond: $505.8 million, down 3.2%

Source: Circana OmniMarket™ Total Store View | Geography : Total US - Multi Outlet w/ C-Store (Grocery, Drug, Mass Market, Convenience, Military and Select Club & Dollar Retailers) | Time : Latest 52 Weeks Ending 04-20-25

The nutritional snacks and trail mixes category was up 1.4% to nearly $1.8 billion for that same 52-week period. Private label comprised more than half of sales in that subcategory, at $976.3 million (up 0.8%); top brands included:

• Gourmet Nut: $107.6 million, up 26.6%
• Kar’s Nuts: $84.8 million, up 1.7%
• Cibo Vita: $82.2 million, up 3.0%
• Hormel Foods: $72.7 million, down 3.7%

Looking back
Zeeshan Tarique, senior brand manager at Hormel-owned Planters, notes that the snack nuts category grew 1.6% at convenience stores but fell 0.3% in the grocery channel. He believes innovative brands that cater to their customers’ needs will thrive.

“Private label grew,” he says. “Planters and a lot of branded players have seen a lot of softness.”

Consumer shifts toward snacking options with more plant protein and fewer calories have been fruitful for nuts in general and Nuts.com in particular, which has evolved from an online store to an omnichannel brand with the launch of the Pop & Sol brand, according to CEO PJ Oleksak.

“We are also continuing to evolve and strengthen our e-commerce core with customization, curated discovery and new products,” she says.

Pistachios have moved well in terms of volume, particularly pistachio kernels, which are beginning to make their way into the bakery and confectionery aisles, notes Jeff Nichols, vice president, supply chain for Nichols Farms. While consumption of shelled pistachios has decreased, more consumers are drawn to kernels with no shell, he says.

Worldwide demand for California pistachios has more than doubled in the past 10 years, according to Diana Salsa, VP of marketing for Wonderful Pistachios: “The surge in popularity shows us that the category continues to develop with consumers not only snacking more on pistachios but learning how to integrate them into their everyday cooking or viral social media recipes.”

Pistachios experienced a record-breaking crop year in 2023 at 1.5 billion pounds but fell off in 2024, with a lower-than-expected yield of 1.1 billion pounds, according to Joseph Setton, executive VP at Setton Farms, who shares that “the convenience of kernel SKUs with bold, natural seasoning has been a winning combination,” citing his company’s collaboration with Tajin on buffalo wing and scorpion pepper flavors.

Consumers are looking for the right combination of new flavor varieties and health halos, Tarique says. “Snack nuts had gone a little stale,” he opines, adding that novel flavors are resonating with consumers.

Oleksak notes, “Customers, specifically younger customers, are seeking real food and better-for-you options. They want interesting foods that allow them to prioritize health, happiness and connectivity.”

Health and convenience also have been the top consumer preferences on Nichols’ radar: “You’ve seen convenience stores throw more pistachio items onto their racks. The convenience factor, healthy for you, plant protein—all of those factors are contributing to increased demand.”

Wonderful Pistachios has noted many of the same healthful and flavor-related trends, Salsa says.

“Consumers are not only seeking a nutritious snack choice, but they are also looking for flavorful ones,” she adds. “We continue to innovate with bold, on-trend flavors.”

Challenges facing nut brands in the past year have included the costs of commodities such as cocoa, Oleksak says, adding that her company’s relationships with its suppliers and its network of distribution centers across the U.S. have mitigated this.

Tarique says Planters has seen similar issues with the prices of commoditized raw materials nuts, as well as shortages of some flavoring elements: “We are trying to make sure we are not passing those prices on to consumers, but there are limited options sometimes,” he says, adding that cashews have sold for more at retail category-wide.

Another challenge facing producers in California has been the state’s Water Management Act, which governs the use of H₂O, a move Nichols believes had become necessary given estimates that roughly 20% of the state’s currently farmed acres won’t be farmable by 2040.

“We’ve had to become very smart with how we use water,” he says. “That’s going to create challenges down the road, to produce the crop. But obviously with the water basin, we want to ensure that whatever we’re pumping out of that basin is being replenished.”

Over the past year, Nichols Farms has rolled out a new organic line of pistachios with four flavors: in-shell rosemary garlic and habanero lime, and shelled maple butter and hot honey; the latter has been most popular.

Setton has aimed at a premium spin on bar snacks with the pistachio pub mix, a “bold and savory blend” of the brand’s buffalo wing pistachio kernels, ranch corn nuts, honey roasted sesame chips and hickory almonds, Setton says: “Each pistachio is coated with a mouth-watering blend of spicy cayenne pepper, bold paprika, and a dash of vinegar.”

Nuts.com launched the Pop & Sol brand as its first retail venture, Oleksak shares. A nod to founder Poppy Sol, the brand includes a savory line available solely at Target, with jalapeno cashews, elote peanuts, salt and vinegar almonds, and salt and pepper cashews. It also offers a sweet line at certain locations of ShopRite and the Fresh Market that includes banana-dusted dark chocolate walnuts, coconut-flaked white chocolate covered cashews, raspberry-dusted dark chocolate almonds, and strawberry-dusted dark chocolate hazelnuts.

Planters introduced an extension of its flavored cashew line with a salt-and-vinegar SKU; two new trail mix flavors in the convenience channel, chocolate pecan crunch and white chocolate macadamia; as well as a Planters Nut Duos line that combined two types of nuts and two flavors in the same bag, Tarique says. After testing more than 100 combinations of the latter, the brand rolled out three: buffalo-flavored cashews paired with ranch-flavored almonds, peppercorn pistachios with parmesan cashews, and espresso hazelnut cashews and cocoa almonds.

Looking forward
Representatives of nut and snack mix brands interviewed for this article uniformly expressed optimism about the year ahead. For Tarique, the positive vibe is due to the volume, variety, and innovation he sees in the category. “There are so many products and so many subcategories,” he says. “As long as snacking is there, snack nuts will have a major role to play.”

Nuts.com envisions continued opportunity to explore flavors, indulge consumers’ sweet tooth, or offer better-for-you options, Oleksak notes: “Our strategy is to evolve from an online store that primarily focuses on nuts, dried fruit and chocolate, to an omnichannel premium snack brand.”

California’s pistachio supply should continue to grow over the next decade as more acreage comes into production, Salsa remarks, and Wonderful Pistachios plans to drive demand through strategic sales and marketing efforts while boosting its efficiency and capacity.

Nichols also looks forward to the upcoming “on” year for the pistachio cycle.

“Overseas demand is going to greatly increase compared to this last year,” he states. “Flavored kernels are going to continue each year. We’re hoping we can get in-shell demand to stay relatively flat, with the [sales] increase coming from the kernels.”

The expected strong harvest should create additional opportunities for retailers, Setton predicts, adding he also believes the “natural” trend that his company has leaned into will continue to blossom.

“Organic farming is very much in line with Setton’s commitment to regenerative agriculture, so adding organic pistachios to our line was natural,” with both in-shell and kernel bags, he says.

Tarique anticipates healthfulness will continue to be a focus for the category, given its greater nutritional profile than, say, potato chips: “The brands which will succeed will offer different and innovative products within that health halo.”

Partnerships with confectionery will pick up for pistachio brands, focused on the use of smaller kernel pieces, Nichols predicts.

“That’s what the confectionery area has been really interested in,” he says. “The majority of almond demand worldwide is confectionery and bakeries. Pistachios are the exact opposite of that [until recently], but it will be growing.”

TikTok and other social media platforms will continue to drive what’s considered “cool” in the category, as evidenced by the viral Dubai chocolate trend, Salsa says.

“The influence of social media on younger, digitally native generations will only intensify,” she notes. “These platforms are becoming the new front aisles of the grocery stores—shaping consumer cravings, inspiring product discovery, and guiding purchasing behavior. More than ever, consumers want products that are healthy, delicious, and camera-ready.”

Oleksak voices concerns about the impacts of tariffs: “We closely monitor developments all along our supply chain and have very strong relationships with suppliers, in the U.S. and across the world. “Not all of the products we sell can be grown in the U.S., so we continue to work with our suppliers to ensure we can continue to offer the premium, quality products at a fair price.”

In addition to water challenges, Nichols also predicts tariffs will cause issues for pistachio companies, given that about 70% are exported—and in the last “up” growing year, between 20% and 30% went to China.

“They need all of that by Chinese New Year’s,” he says. “They take about 70% of the overall crop between October through December. If these tariffs aren’t squared away by then, it’s going to cause major problems.”

Producers of nuts and snack mixes will need to be transparent with consumers, who are increasingly aware of the impact of food systems on the planet, Setton says. His company has created a “sustainability loop” to ensure that all waste byproducts “are converted back into valuable input for our orchards,” he says. “We utilize social media to educate consumers on our sustainable practices, health messaging, and more in a fun and palatable format.” SF&WB

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