Love's truck stop photo (cropped) by Love's via Creative Commons license

Travelers looking for an on-the-go snack from a local food company can take heart with the announcement of a new retail partnership.

Nichols Farms, a family-owned and operated pistachio grower and processor in Hanford, has partnered with Love’s Travel Stops, expanding its distribution to 600 shops across the nation.

Their products became available at Love’s stores in January.

The partnership serves the growing demand for healthy snack options at travel stops and the value of healthy eating habits among professional drivers and fleets.

Travelers can buy no-shell pistachios in 2-ounce and 6-ounce sizes at Love’s stores with flavored varieties including Jalapeno Lime, Garlic & Garden Herbs, and Cocoa Cookie.

“We figured convenience stores would be the target market for us, so we are very fortunate and very happy to be in Love’s and we are anticipating it will lead to bigger and better things,” said Jeff Nichols, vice president of supply chain and grower relations at Nichols Farms.

Sales at Love’s have been strong, but they won’t have a full scope until the end of the year, especially with the summer travel months coming up, Nichols said.

According to the U.S. Healthy Snacks Market Trends report, the healthy snacks market in the nation is expected to grow 6% annually from 2024 to 2030.

The increase reflects a growing trend toward convenience and on-the-go consumption, as busy lifestyles lead people to seek out nutritious and easily accessible snack options, according to a news release.

Pricing for pistachios is up about 15-20% since last year, mainly due to the smaller crop and less overall supply.

The previous record crop for pistachios was in 2023, with prices bottoming out for a 10-year low. However, Nichols said that really opened up new demand and the company reached out to more countries that had never bought pistachios before.

Nichols said there is a positive outlook for 2025, expecting a large crop this season.

Pistachios have an alternating bearing nature, with expectations of a record crop in 2025.

The state has approximately 505,000 bearing pistachio acres, an increase from 464,000 acres just two years ago.

Nichols said water allocations are looking better than what they originally thought a few months ago.

In response to steel tariffs, the company rushed to lock in material prices for an expansion project at their facility.

They will be adding six silos, a new hulling and drying line and a new kernel color sorting line.

Artificial intelligence is used in the sorting line, taking pictures of every individual nut and sorting it by color.

The facility currently has 52 silos, with the six planned additions increasing storage capacity by about 15%, Nichols said.

Construction for the expansion will span 14 months.

“We’re pleased to be partnering with Love’s Travel Shops to bring our products to their customers,” said Nichols. “Love’s shares our commitment to quality and customer satisfaction, making them an ideal partner for us.”