Spanish Franciscan padres in the 1700s brought almond trees to California, but cool coastal weather stalled their growth - eventually, the crop took root inland and helped California produce about 80% of the world’s almond supply

In the 1700s, Spanish Franciscan padres brought almond trees from Spain to California, but the trees initially struggled to establish themselves in the state's cool and moist coastal climate. It was only in the following century that successful inland planting transformed the crop's fortunes, eventually helping California become the source of approximately 80% of the world's almond supply.

The arrival of almond trees was linked to the Spanish Franciscan missionaries who played a major role in Spain's colonial expansion across what is now the American Southwest. As the padres established missions and settlements, they introduced plants and crops from Europe, including the almond tree.

Yet California did not immediately become an almond-growing powerhouse. The state's coastal conditions proved unsuitable for large-scale cultivation, and successful planting had to wait until growers moved the trees inland.


By the 1870s, research and crossbreeding had produced several of the almond varieties still widely recognized today. By the turn of the 20th century, the industry had become firmly established in California's Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys.

The almond's history, however, stretches much further back. Native to regions including present-day Syria, Israel and Turkey, almonds were among the earliest cultivated foods. They appeared in religious texts and became important cultural symbols across ancient societies. The Bible's Book of Numbers, for instance, tells of Aaron's rod blossoming and bearing almonds.

Ancient Romans also associated almonds with fertility, showering newlyweds with the nuts, a tradition that survives in modified forms through the custom of giving sugared almonds at weddings.

Between roughly 600 and 900 AD, almond cultivation flourished across parts of Spain, Morocco, Greece and Israel, while traders helped spread the crop across regions connected by ancient trade routes, including the Silk Road.

Today, the story has come full circle in the American way. California's Central Valley, with its long periods of sunshine, mild winters and fertile soils, has become one of the world's most productive almond-growing regions. As per the Almond Board of California, more than 7,600 family-run farms cultivate the crop, supported by decades of agricultural research and modern farming practices.