Rapunzel Products Nuts

So sweet the almond

Purity Organics supplies Rapunzel with delicious, sweet organic almonds from California

The Californian organic almond trees from Purity Organics produce 100 % sweet almonds

[05/21] The mild, dry climate of California pleases many Mediterranean plants. Almonds thrive especially well in California. Unlike their European relatives, Californian almonds contain no bitter almond components whatsoever.

The organic, family-owned company Purity Organics supplies Rapunzel with delicious, sweet almonds that are either processed to white almond butter or that are sold loosely in bags.

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Früh im Jahr setzt die Mandelblüte ein.

The basis for Purity Organics was already laid in 1910. Back then, the great-grandparents of today's company owner, Steve Koretoff, emigrated from Russia to California and started working in agriculture. In 1970, the father of today's owner purchased a first almond orchard.

For many years, the Koretoff family worked their farm and sold the harvested products to different traders and processing companies. In the 1990s, the family decided to convert the entire farm to organic agriculture. This decision was motivated by the desire to improve the biodiversity in the orchards, to regenerate the soil and to protect the environment.

The Koretoff family also wanted to become more independent and market their harvested crops directly. In 2005, they founded the family company "Purity Organics".

In 2018, Rapunzel presented the Rapunzel Supplier Award to its long-term supplier Purity Organics for the long-standing, cooperative partnership. With its holistic approach, Purity Organics is an ideal partner for Rapunzel. In California, Purity Organics promotes the sustainable cultivation of almonds and supports regional supply chains for the production and processing of almonds.

Cultivation and maintenance

According to organic farming principles, Purity Organics uses only compost in its almond plantations instead of synthetic fertilizer as well as beneficial insects for pest control.

A good biodiversity also helps in the cultivation of almonds: cultivation risks can be distributed with different almond varieties, because different almond varieties vary with respect to their flowering and harvesting times. This way, frost damages during the flowering season and harvest losses due to excessive rains can be reduced.

The different almond varieties that are planted as juvenile trees in Purity Organics orchards come from a specialized tree nursery. There, the trees are propagated by grafting the buds of specific varieties on special rootstocks.

Peach roots have turned out as the best rootstocks for the almond cultivation in California. This method of grafting results in positive rootstock properties for the almond trees - such as strong root growth, drought resistance or disease resistance.

The almond flower appears early in the year

"We treat our customers like our family and keep them informed about developments in our orchards and in the market. We do not believe in companies that make business with other companies; we believe in people who cooperate with other people."

Steve Koretoff

The next generation is already taking over responsibility: Nicholas Koretoff, the son of owner Steve Koretoff, with an almond harvest machine

"Wir behandeln unsere Kunden wie unsere Familie und halten sie über die Entwicklungen auf den Feldern und auf dem Markt auf dem Laufenden. Wir glauben nicht an Unternehmen, die mit Unternehmen Geschäfte machen, wir glauben an Menschen, die mit anderen Menschen zusammenarbeiten."

Steve Koretoff

Once the grafted trees leave the tree nursery, they are planted and cared for over a period of three to five years until a healthy tree population has developed. If maintained constantly, the trees produce a good harvest for up to 25 years.

A good almond quality requires not only tree maintenance, but also other factors such as favorable weather conditions, the availability of water and nutrients as well as pollination by bees.

"We provide good fertilization consisting of compost, organic minerals and organic fertilizers", summarizes Steve Koretoff. "Currently, we are experiencing climate change. Californina is known for long drought periods. By keeping our soils and their microorganisms alive and healthy, the soils can store humiditiy and nutrients better. We use state-of-the-art irrigation technologies and methods in order to use water as efficiently as possible."

And what about tree maintenance? Professional pruning is one of the most important maintenance measure for permanent crops. Excess, diseased and dead branches are removed through pruning. This way, the farmers ensure that the trees get enough light. Airy tree tops are also important in order to prevent fungal and other diseases.

Harvest and processing

In the fifth year, almond trees reach their ideal size and start to produce good yields. Compared to conventional almond orchards, however, organic trees have lower yields. In addition, organic cultivation requires more work effort and the cultivation costs are significantly higher. Many additional steps are needed to keep the soil, the almond orchard and the environment healthy and to get good yields.

Depending on the almond variety, the trees are harvested from the end of August until October. The fruit are shaken from the trees by machine and are left on the ground for drying. After about one week, they are picked up from the ground and soil, leaves and twigs are removed.

In the end, the almonds are sorted automatically as well as manually.Various quality checks and comprehensive lab tests ensure highest organic quality. It is not surprising that Purity Organics received the Rapunzel Supplier Award 2018.

The Californian organic almond trees from Purity Organics produce 100 % sweet almonds

Our organic products with Californian almonds

Californian almonds

White almond butter