Valley Harvest Nut Company

What Valley Harvest Nut Company does

Valley Harvest Nut Company is a family-owned almond handler and processor headquartered in Modesto, California. Founded by Bob and Toni Conway in 1994 in Turlock and relocated to the current Modesto site in 1999, the company operates a 10,520 square foot processing plant and a 16,000 square foot storage facility, marketing four to five million pounds of California almonds annually on domestic and export markets. The facility is USDA-certified organic and Kosher certified, and is operated as an almond-only line to eliminate cross-contamination from other tree nuts.

The company's product portfolio spans five lines: almond butter (creamy and crunchy, one of the few handlers to offer both), natural almonds (whole, sliced, flaked, diced, meal), blanched almonds (whole, sliced, slivered, splits, meal), dry-roasted almonds (whole, diced, meal), and flavored almonds (Hickory Smoke, Onion & Garlic, Chipotle, Habanero, Lemon Chile, Jalapeno Cheddar, Teriyaki, Garlic Parmesan). Core processing technology includes electronic optical sorting (colored lights and air ejectors) followed by manual hand sorting for USDA-grade compliance, dry roasting in tumblers without added oils, and slicing/dicing/blanching operations (blanching is outsourced to a local family-operated company). All retail SKUs are packaged in 25 lb boxes, 50 lb boxes, 2,000 lb fiber totes, 1 lb jars, and 18 lb or 40 lb buckets.

Valley Harvest Nut operates a sales-led, relationship-based go-to-market. The company serves two distinct revenue streams: branded almond product sales (priced via a season-average base price across all sales) and fee-based custom processing and co-packing services for other conventional and organic almond handlers. Customers include food manufacturers in confectionery, bakery, health food and snack food industries across the Americas and globally, as well as a niche segment of allergen-sensitive consumers referred by physicians and allergists. Sales inquiries are handled by email, and grower relationships are managed through a liaison partnership with Wayne Lyle of Central Ag Products. The company is in the midst of a generational leadership transition, with the second generation — Joe Runnels and Janine Runnels — assuming operational and sales leadership while Bob and Toni Conway move into advisory roles.

Name

Valley Harvest Nut Company

Legal name

Valley Harvest Nut Company

Website

https://valleyharvestnut.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Valley Harvest Nut Company is a family-owned almond processor in Modesto, California, marketing four to five million pounds of USDA-certified organic, Kosher-certified California almonds annually to global food manufacturers and allergen-sensitive consumers, with supporting custom toll-processing services for other almond handlers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Almond Processing

NAICS

Roasted Nuts and Peanut Butter Manufacturing (311911), Tree Nut Farming (111335), Fruit and Tree Nut Farming (1113)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Nuts Processing & Roasting (AFAKAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nut & Seed Spreads Manufacturing (Peanut, Almond, Tahini) (AFAKADAJ), Nuts, Seeds & Dried Fruit Trading/Wholesale (AFAIAKAF)

Keywords

• Almond processing
• Almond products
• Custom food processing
• Organic almond handling
• Food ingredient supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Modesto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Almond Product Sales: Valley Harvest Nut sells almonds throughout the season and averages all sales at the end, arriving at a base price. They sell directly to customers in the Americas and globally, marketing 4-5 million pounds of almonds annually on domestic and export markets.
2. Custom Processing Services: The plant offers custom manufacturing for other almond handlers in the area, providing processing services for conventional and organic growers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Valley Harvest Nut Company is a family-owned almond handler-processor that purchases California almonds from area growers and processes them into a wide range of forms including blanched and natural almond slices, slivers, diced, splits, flakes, meal, almond butter (creamy and crunchy), dry-roasted almonds, and seasoned/flavored almonds. In addition to product manufacturing, the plant offers custom manufacturing and processing services for conventional and organic growers and other almond handlers, and markets 4-5 million pounds of almonds annually on domestic and export markets.

Product overview

Valley Harvest Nut Company is a family-owned almond processing company that offers a unified product portfolio centered on California almonds. The core offerings include five main product lines: Almond Butter (creamy and crunchy varieties), Natural Almonds (whole, sliced, flaked, diced, and meal), Roasted Almonds (whole, diced, and meal), Blanched Almonds (whole, sliced, slivered, splits, and meal), and Flavored Almonds (Hickory Smoke, Onion & Garlic, Chipotle, Habanero, Lemon Chile, Jalapeno Cheddar, Teriyaki, Garlic Parm). The company operates as both a product manufacturer and service provider, offering custom processing services for conventional and organic growers and other almond handlers. Processing capabilities include sizing and sorting, slicing and dicing, blanching (outsourced), and roasting. All products are Non-GMO, Gluten free, and Kosher certified, with the facility also certified organic.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Almond Butter All-natural roasted almond butter in creamy and crunchy varieties; packaged in 1 lb jars (12/case), 18 lb buckets, and 40 lb buckets; for food manufacturers, retailers, and consumer buyers seeking a spread with no salt, oil, or preservatives added.
• Natural Almonds Unprocessed California almonds in whole, sliced (thin, regular, thick 1.0-1.4mm), flaked, diced (small 14/8, medium 22/8), and fine meal forms; packaged in 25 lb, 50 lb boxes and 2,000 lb fiber totes; Non-GMO, gluten-free, Kosher certified; for food manufacturers in confectionary, bakery, health food, and snack food industries.
• Roasted Almonds Dry roasted California almonds with no added oils; available in whole, diced (small 14/8, medium 22/8), and meal forms; for use in confectionery, baking, snacks, and as toppings for ice cream and desserts.
• Blanched Almonds Skinless California almonds produced via blanching; available in whole, sliced (1.0-1.4mm), slivered, split, and fine meal forms; packaged in 25 lb boxes; Non-GMO, gluten-free, Kosher certified; for food manufacturers and bakeries.
• Flavored Almonds Seasoned almonds flavored with canola oil in eight varieties: Hickory Smoke, Onion & Garlic, Chipotle, Habanero, Lemon Chile, Jalapeno Cheddar, Teriyaki, and Garlic Parmesan; produced in batches per order; Non-GMO, gluten-free, Kosher certified; for snack and food manufacturers.
• Custom Manufacturing Services Custom processing for conventional and organic almond growers and other almond handlers, including co-packing and private-label support; offers sizing, sorting, slicing, dicing, blanching (outsourced), roasting, and flavoring capabilities within the company’s certified organic, Kosher, and almond-only facility.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Central Ag ProductsminorOthersWayne Lyle of Central Ag Products works closely with Valley Harvest Nut Company as a liaison for growers. He works with growers that sell to Valley Harvest Nut to help them get the most out of their crop.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ofi (Olam Food Ingredients): Global supplier of nuts, dairy, spices and other food ingredients, with significant almond sourcing and processing operations in California. Competes directly for VHN's food-manufacturing and export ingredient customers, but with global scale and broader category reach.
• Blue Diamond Growers: World's largest almond cooperative, marketing a broad range of almond products globally including ingredients, snacks, and almond butter. Directly comparable product portfolio and customer base, but at vastly greater scale and with a brand-led go-to-market that VHN cannot match.
• Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds: Major vertically integrated California tree-nut grower-processor handling pistachios and almonds, selling branded and ingredient products worldwide. Overlaps VHN on processed almond SKUs and ingredient customers, with much larger marketing and distribution capabilities.
• Diamond Foods (now Nut Snacks / private equity owned): Historic branded nut snack and ingredient company (Diamond of California, Emerald, Popcorners nut brands). Competes with VHN in almond ingredients and snacks, though primarily a branded snack company rather than a pure ingredient processor.

Emerging players

• Sahale Snacks: Premium nut-based snack brand using almonds and other tree nuts as core ingredients. Comparable on flavored and value-added almond SKUs, but operates a branded snack model rather than the ingredient/toll-processing model VHN is built around.
• Treehouse Foods (Nut & Baking Platform): Private-label manufacturer with a nut and baking ingredients platform supplying retail and foodservice. Competes with VHN for private-label and ingredient business, especially in blanched, sliced, and diced almond formats.

Direct peers

• Mariani Nut Company: Family-owned Northern California processor of almonds, walnuts, and other nuts selling ingredients and branded retail packs. Closest peer in size, structure, and product mix to VHN, with similar ingredient customer base and value-added processing focus.
• John B. Sanfilippo & Son: Public nut processor and snack manufacturer selling under its own brands (Fisher Nuts, Orchard Valley Harvest) and private-label/toll-processing for food manufacturers. Closely aligned business model combining ingredient processing with branded packaged nuts.
• Setton Farms / Setton Pistachio: California-based grower-processor of pistachios and other tree nuts with significant ingredient and snack business. Comparable size, vertically integrated operations, and ingredient-focused go-to-market targeting food manufacturers and export markets.

Regional players

• Karoun Dairies / Valley Processing (almond co-packers): Mid-sized California almond handlers offering custom processing, blanching, and value-added formats to growers and ingredient customers. Closely mirrors VHN's custom-processing and regional co-packing services, though typically with a narrower product range.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/valley-harvest-nut-co

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Valley Harvest Nut Company