Nopalitos, the flesh of the Nopal Cactus, are in full production in California. Though local production has to contend with Mexican imports, American consumers are increasingly turning to domestic supplies.
“The demand has evolved for nopalitos in the United States since we are getting a lot of interest from domestic end users due to the fact that there is a desire for a domestic supplier,” said Claudia Pizarro-Villalobos of D'Arrigo Brothers. “This allowed us to gain more customers.” D'Arrigo is one of the largest American growers of nopalitos and Cactus Pears, both of which come from the Nopal Cactus. Production of Nopalitos lasts from April through August and the Cactus Pears season is from August to March, and Villalobos believes that quality control on the Salinas Valley operation is what makes local supplies stand out from imports.
“Mexico is our largest competitor, but we believe that competition makes us better,” said Pizarro-Villalobos. “It keeps us working hard to produce a top quality Nopalito that always meets our specifications and follows all food safety measures under our Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points program.”
D'Arrigo, which markets the product under their Andy Boy label, is also hoping to turn mainstream consumers onto the product, which has, up to now, been mostly consumed in the U.S. by the country's Latin American population.
“The challenge lies in the fact that it is a vegetable that is primarily found in Latin American cuisine,” said Pizarro-Villalobos. “But I truly see the market growing as the vegetable becomes more mainstream. The nutrition profile is quite impressive, with a nutritional composition resembling that of dark green leaf lettuces, and our goal is to expand the consumption to other palates since nopalitos can be a great substitute for bell peppers or mushrooms.”
For more information:
Claudia Pizarro-Villalobos
D'Arrigo Brothers
+1 831 455 4315