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Walnut kernels

核桃仁

Yunnan walnuts are Juglans sigillata, a different species from the Juglans regia grown in California and Chile. Yunnan is the species’ center of origin and China’s largest walnut-growing province, with Yangbi (Dali), Dayao (Chuxiong) and Fengqing (Lincang) as the main areas. Raw, skinless and flavored kernels are available, quoted to your grade, pack and volume.

Walnut kernels

Specifications

ProductWalnut kernels
Chinese name核桃仁
CategoryNuts
OriginDali (Yangbi), Chuxiong (Dayao), Lincang (Fengqing)
Forms
  • Kernels
SeasonNew crop from Oct
Packaging238 g jars, 23 g sachets ×6; bulk on request

Grades, minimum order and shipping windows are confirmed with your quote.

About Yunnan walnuts

Species
Juglans sigillata, a species native to China. The shell is deeply and densely grooved; the kernels are pale and plump, with little astringency and a rich aroma.
Cultivars
Two main cultivars. Yangbi Dapao: large nuts, thin shells, white kernels and a high kernel yield. Santai, known in the trade as “103” (about 103 nuts to the kilo): sweet, not astringent, less oily, keeps well and suits processing.
Scale
Walnuts grow in all 16 prefectures and 129 counties of the province: about 2.87 million hectares and 1.91 million tonnes in 2022.
Growing and harvest
Grown on mountain slopes at 1,300 to 3,000 m. Trees first bear after 5 to 8 years, reach full bearing at about 25 and keep cropping for a century or more. Harvest is in early September; new-crop kernels ship from October.
By hand
Picking and cracking are still done by experienced hands, and how many kernels come out whole decides the price.
Composition
Fat makes up 50 to 70%, more than 90% of it unsaturated, including the omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid; protein is about 15%.

About these origins

Dali
Yangbi is one of the places the species began: walnut wood 26,000 years old has been found here. More than 200,000 trees are over a century old, and the Yangbi Dapao cultivar has been grown here for over 1,600 years.
Chuxiong
Dayao County has grown walnuts for more than 2,000 years; its oldest tree is over 1,000 years old and more than 36,000 trees are over a century old. The Santai (“103”) cultivar was selected in Dayao’s Santai township.
Lincang
Fengqing is one of Yunnan’s main walnut areas. Visiting in the Ming dynasty, the travel writer Xu Xiake noted that the oil people cooked with and burned in their lamps here was walnut oil.

Supplier listed for this product

Caiyun Xingzhe (采云行者)

A brand store devoted to Yunnan walnutsPartner

A walnut brand and store in Kunming. The founders, a married couple with master’s degrees from Xiamen University, left a state-owned company and a government post to start Caiyun Xingzhe, and since late 2022 have worked on Yunnan walnuts alone. Product development draws on experts at the Yunnan Academy of Forestry and Grassland Sciences and the Yangbi Walnut Research Institute, and the chief R&D scientist is food engineer Dr. Yun Wuxin, chief science adviser to the documentary Once Upon a Bite. The range covers raw and skinless kernels, honey and prebiotic kernels, jujube walnut cake and supercritical CO2 walnut oil.

  • Founded in 2018, headquartered in Kunming
  • Works directly with walnut farms in the growing areas
  • Certified organic farming and processing (China organic)
  • Test reports from the Kunming Customs Technology Center
TypeStore
CompanyCaiyun Xingzhe (Yunnan) Food Technology Co., Ltd.
LocationKunming

Certifications and tests

  • China organic certification: farming
  • China organic certification: processing
  • Walnut oil: China national standard, grade 1 (GB/T 22327)
  • Test reports: Kunming Customs Technology Center
Walnut kernels
Walnut kernels

Product range

  • Raw walnut kernelsRaw walnut kernelsSantai (“103”) cultivar. Unbleached, nothing added. 238 g jar, 10-month shelf life
  • Prebiotic-coated walnut kernelsPrebiotic-coated walnut kernelsSkinless kernels coated with prebiotic fiber. 23 g × 6 sachets, 12-month shelf life
  • Jujube-paste walnut cakeJujube-paste walnut cakeIndividually wrapped. 252 g jar, 8-month shelf life
  • Walnut oilWalnut oilSupercritical CO2 extraction at 36.8 °C. 250 ml and 500 ml

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