Economic Observer Reporter Zheng Mingzhu

Pistachios are now also subject to purchase restrictions.

Recently, many netizens have shared their shopping experiences on social media: they encountered purchase restrictions when trying to buy pistachios at Sam's Club and Costco.

On October 15th, a reporter searched for the proprietary brand Member's Mark salt-roasted pistachio product (1.13kg) at Sam's Club. The product status indicated "replenishing inventory," making it impossible to place an order directly. The page also noted purchase restrictions: each member is limited to 2 items per 30 days. The current price of the product is 99.9 yuan per bag, whereas in December last year, the same product cost 89 yuan per bag.

A similar situation occurred at another membership supermarket with warehousing services, Kaishi Ke. On October 15th, reporters observed at the official Kaishi Ke flagship store on the JD platform that Kaishi Ke's own brand, Kirkland, offered two types of pistachios: salt-roasted pistachios and roasted pistachios with shells, both weighing 1.36 kg. The listed price for both was 179.88 yuan, while the member price was 149.9 yuan for each. Additionally, a limit of one piece per purchase was set for both products.

After the purchase restrictions were implemented, "scalpers" took action upon hearing the news. In the Sam's Club comment section, a consumer stated on October 14th, "I bought two bags and gave them directly to the scalpers, making a small profit of 50 yuan." On social media, posts appeared with content such as "Buying pistachios, adding 40 yuan per order for two bags" and "High-price recycling of Sam's Club pistachios." On second-hand platforms like Xianyu, numerous sellers posted information about placing orders on their behalf, for example, "Placing orders on behalf of others for Sam's Club pistachios, 2 bags for 250 yuan, only two packs can be purchased within 30 days, first come, first served."

Supermarkets have implemented purchase restrictions, and the retail prices at the point of sale have risen; in the second-hand market, there is even price gouging and reselling at increased costs. Why has this small nut become such a sought-after commodity?

Tight supply

Zhu Bing (a pseudonym), who runs a handmade Italian ice cream shop in Nanjing, Jiangsu, purchases pistachio kernels about once every half month to use for making pistachio ice cream. In August this year, the price of the pistachio kernels he usually buys suddenly rose from 69.9 yuan per 500g to 109.9 yuan per 500g. Zhu Bing explained that the price of pistachio kernels has been fluctuating since the beginning of this year, but the fluctuations have generally been around 10 yuan. A sudden increase of 40 yuan is indeed unprecedented.

Many merchants in the pistachio business have a tangible sense of the price increases. The owner of a dried fruit shop outside Beijing's North Fifth Ring told reporters that in recent months, the price of pistachios has risen from 69 yuan per jin to the current 79 yuan per jin. On the 1688 wholesale platform, a staff member from Zhejiang who has been running a store for four years said that the price is even cheaper for bulk purchases; for orders of a thousand jin or more, the price is 56 yuan per jin. Regarding the current price, this staff member stated that this is the highest price he has ever experienced, saying, "This year, the raw materials are very expensive." Another shop in Hebei quotes 119.88 yuan per kg, and they also expressed, "The prices have risen significantly."

The main global pistachio-producing regions are the United States, Iran, and Turkey. In the Chinese market, although there are pistachio-producing areas in Xinjiang, the current output is very small. Over 95% of the pistachios consumed in China are imported, mainly from the United States and Iran.

On the supply side, the two major producing regions of the United States and Iran are facing supply reductions. Coupled with geopolitical and climatic disruptions, the global supply of pistachio raw materials has become tight. Several industry insiders have mentioned that there has been an increase in pistachio prices and a shortage of supplies in the domestic market. The root cause lies in the rising prices of international raw materials upstream, with the cost pressure being transmitted down the supply chain to the domestic terminal market.

California, USA, is one of the largest suppliers of pistachios in the world. According to reports from local American media, the issue of pistachio shells is a major challenge faced by this industry, as the abnormally hot weather in March disrupted the flowering period. On the other hand, Iran is also an important production area for pistachios globally. The production and export trade of pistachios in this region have become complicated due to geopolitical tensions; the harvest in 2025 was poor to begin with, and the escalating conflicts in 2026 further disrupted logistics and trade channels, adding to the problems.

Zhu Bing once inquired with her supplier about the reason for the price increase of pistachio kernels. The supplier explained that the raw materials come from Iran, and “now the farms in Iran that produce pistachios have been bombed.” They further stated that “it will take at least five years for prices to drop again; even if we start planting now, it will still take five years,” because pistachio trees have a long fruiting cycle, and it takes many years to reach a peak production period, making it difficult to rapidly increase production in the short term.

Pistachio Fever

The "pistachio craze" sparked by consumers has exacerbated the supply shortage.

A procurement staff member from a domestic chain supermarket told the Economic Observer that another reason for the increase in the price of pistachios is the improvement in deep-processing capabilities, which has opened up more consumption scenarios, leading to a tight supply of raw materials and thus driving up prices.

At the end of 2023, a "Dubai chocolate" made from pistachios, cream, and crisp crust became an internet sensation on social media TikTok, quickly sparking a global craze for pistachio consumption. Subsequently, international brands such as Starbucks, Swiss Lotus, and DQ launched pistachio-related products, and domestic brands like Xicha and Moyoga also introduced new pistachio series products one after another. On October 12th, PepsiCo also launched sugar-free pistachio chocolate-flavored cola.

Pistachios are breaking away from their traditional role as "new year nuts" and are rapidly penetrating into various scenarios of daily consumption. According to data from the food and beverage industry market research institution Innova Market Insights, from July 2021 to June 2026, the annual compound growth rate of new food and beverage products containing pistachios globally reached 26%.

Many industry insiders indicate that the current trend of increased prices for pistachios will continue. As the end of the year approaches, pistachios are considered a necessity for family gatherings, and the demand during holidays is expected to further increase, which will help to maintain stable prices.

A person with 18 years of experience in the nut industry told reporters that she has no plans to increase her supply of pistachios. Currently, her purchase price is 70 yuan per jin (about 500 grams), while it was only around 50 yuan during the same period last year. She is concerned that high selling prices may deter consumers.

Zhu Bing has already begun to adjust his business pace in order to cope with the pressure of rising raw material prices. To control costs, he has voluntarily reduced the frequency of supplying pistachio-flavored ice cream. Originally, this flavor was available four or five days a week, but now it is only offered one or two days a week. Occasionally, when customers request this product, the store is unable to supply it consistently, and he informs them truthfully, "Pistachios have recently gone up in price." As for whether to raise the selling price of the finished product, after much internal deliberation, he has chosen not to increase the price for the time being. In his view, most consumers find it difficult to accept price increases and are also not aware of the reasons behind them.

(Author: Zheng Mingzhu)