Next week already, the first fresh walnuts will be available, as their harvest should start this weekend. Although less well known than its dry counterpart, the fresh walnut is very appealing. “It is completely different from the dry walnut. It has a delicate, crunchy and very sweet taste. It is a rare and less known product, but very popular among experts. For sure, tasting it is all it takes to adopt it,” explains Christine Bonnet, sales representative at Coopenoix.
At the cooperative, the walnuts sold fresh are of the Lara variety. The production comes exclusively from France, from the Isère valley at the foot of the Alps. “It is possible to make fresh walnuts with any variety, but we opted for this specific variety because it is ideal for fresh consumption. The nuts are rounder, of caliber 32 to 38, which is larger than the other varieties.
One of the particularities of the fresh walnut is also that it must be consumed quickly. “Fresh walnuts can be kept in a cool place for a few days at the most. Our clients are spread out in France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and England. Given the shelf life of the product, we make sure to package the walnuts as soon as they are brought in by the producers and to deliver them as soon as possible with refrigerated trucks.”
Coopenoix offers various types of packaging for the fresh walnuts sold with their shell: 5kg nets, EPS and IFCO crates, 5kg and 10kg trays and 800kg big-bags. As for the dry walnut season, it looks promising, especially for the PDO walnuts of Grenoble, and it will start at the beginning of October.
For more information:
Christine Bonnet
Coopenoix
75 avenue de la Noix de Grenoble
38470 Vinay, France
Phone: +33 (0)4 76 36 95 21
Fax: +33 (0)4 76 36 63 69
c.bonnet@coopenoix.com