California Walnuts Partners with Cooking and Wellness Creator Katie Lee Biegel to Drive Holiday Sales

FOLSOM, Calif. – California Walnuts is serving up fresh cooking inspiration in shoppers’ feeds this holiday season, anchored by a new partnership with Emmy-nominated TV culinary personality, cookbook author, creator of the YouTube series It’s Not Complicated and host of the podcast All on the Table Katie Lee Biegel.

Biegel is officially partnering with California Walnuts on an integrated program designed to reach younger consumers and inspire how California walnuts are an easy addition to elevate the holidays. The partnership includes social media activations, advertising, custom recipes and more. Biegel joins more than 20 cooking and wellness creators working with California Walnuts this season to inspire walnut purchases through holiday-centric recipes. Each creator will feature California walnuts as the hero ingredient, showcasing their taste, texture, versatility, nutrition and “Feel Good” power through content that reflects the creator’s authentic voice.

During the holidays, consumers are juggling family, work and social plans. They look to people they trust for real, practical ideas, and creators like Biegel have loyal audiences who want meal ideas that feel elevated and are still easy to make.

“The holidays are all about sharing good food with the people you love, but that doesn’t mean every recipe has to be complicated,” said Biegel. “I’m partnering with California Walnuts to share approachable holiday recipes that feel special while showing just how versatile walnuts can be in the kitchen. Walnuts bring delicious flavor and satisfying crunch to so many dishes, giving home cooks an easy way to make familiar favorites feel a little more festive this season.”

For retailers, the effort is designed to connect inspiration for holiday recipes with purchase decisions. Extensive creator content will introduce shoppers to an array of new ways to use walnuts throughout the season, encouraging them to think beyond one recipe or occasion.

“Shoppers are more likely to purchase walnuts when they have a clear idea of how to use them,” said Robert Verloop, executive director and CEO of the California Walnut Board and Commission. “When trusted influencers show how California walnuts can bring flavor, texture and versatility to holiday meals, they give shoppers practical ideas to put on their shopping lists. For retailers, that creates an opportunity to capture demand with well-placed displays and promotions that make walnuts easy to find and add to the basket.”

California walnuts traditionally see a significant bump in sales from October through early January due to the fall and winter baking season, making it an opportune time for retailers to promote walnuts. While shoppers often turn to walnuts for holiday baking, retailers can drive additional sales with secondary displays in produce, where shoppers are looking for fresh, whole foods to support everyday eating, along with holiday entertaining and cooking. In fact, consumer research conducted on behalf of the California Walnut Board found more than 80%¹ of shoppers who purchase walnuts buy more when walnuts are displayed in the produce department.

Support for retailers is designed to maximize sales potential and capitalize on the consumer momentum generated since the launch of the “Feel Good” effort last year. This year, California Walnuts is strengthening the effort with a focus on older millennials and Gen X consumers with strong purchasing power while maintaining the campaign’s youthful energy and connection with younger audiences.

To reinforce these efforts and drive shoppers to retail, California Walnuts is introducing a new connected TV spot in October. Supporting activities include retail-tagged advertising, shopper marketing, media articles, digital advertising and sampling at wellness-inspired events.

Retailers interested in partnering with California Walnuts to drive walnut sales during this period and all year long can visit walnuts.org/retail.

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 whose walnuts are sold around the world, with more than 99% of the walnuts grown in the United States being from California. California walnuts, grown primarily in multi-generational family orchards, are known for their quality and nutritional and wellness benefits.

The CWB, established in 1948, supports growers through production, food safety and postharvest research, while also promoting usage of walnuts in the United States through consumer outreach that positions California walnuts as a feel-good food and educational programs to retail, foodservice and food manufacturing audiences. 

The CWC, established in 1987, drives domestic and export market development activities and health research to support sales of California walnuts around the globe.

To explore recipes and learn more about California walnuts, growers, health research and more, visit

1 California Walnut Board 2026 Consumer A&U