California Walnuts is Launching ‘Be Merry. Feel Good.’ Holiday Campaign

Seasonal effort aims to drive sales and keep walnuts top of mind at retail

FOLSOM, Calif. – California Walnuts is launching its “Be Merry. Feel Good.” holiday campaign in the U.S. market, targeting shoppers during the year’s peak walnut purchasing period and creating new opportunities for retailers to capture incremental sales as consumers seek ingredients for seasonal recipes and entertaining.

The campaign builds on the industry’s “California Walnuts. Feel Good.” consumer effort, which aims to modernize the image of California walnuts and reposition them as a must-have ingredient. Complete with a fresh, energetic visual identity, the industry-wide effort is expanding the target audience to include millennial and Gen Z shoppers while enhancing engagement with those who already know and love California walnuts.

“The holidays are a critical time for the nut category, and this campaign helps ensure walnuts remain highly visible and top of mind as shoppers make purchase decisions,” said Christine Lott, director of integrated communications for the California Walnut Board and Commission. “With many gatherings of friends and family over a meal this time of year, California walnuts are a great fit, providing a feel good ingredient that can elevate holiday dishes. The pairing of seasonal promotions and in-store activations with consumer awareness efforts shows shoppers how walnuts can elevate their holiday recipes and entertaining, while helping retailers drive sales.”

For retailers, California Walnuts is offering comprehensive merchandising support, including seasonal displays, retail-tagged ads, in-store promotions and shopper marketing programs designed to maximize sales. These efforts are reinforced by consumer-facing media that drives awareness and traffic, including connected TV, YouTube, social platforms, podcasts and consumer publications.

Beyond the store, influencer partnerships in cooking, wellness, lifestyle and entertaining highlight walnut versatility in the formats younger consumers engage with most. Experiential events add real-world touchpoints, giving shoppers opportunities to taste walnuts and learn about their flavor and nutritional benefits.

To learn more about how California Walnuts can help support retailers, contact retail@walnuts.org.

About the California Walnut Board and Commission

The California Walnut Board (CWB) and California Walnut Commission (CWC) represent more than 3,700 California walnut growers and approximately 70 handlers, grown in multi-generational farmers’ family orchards. California walnuts, known for their excellent nutritional value and quality, are shipped around the world all year long, with more than 99% of the walnuts grown in the United States being from California.

The CWB, established in 1948, promotes usage of walnuts in the United States through publicity and educational programs. The CWB also provides funding for walnut production, food safety and post-harvest research. The CWC, established in 1987, is involved in health research with consuming walnuts as well as domestic and export market development activities.

To explore recipes and learn more about California walnut growers, industry information and health research, visit walnuts.org.