Capay Hills Orchard Truly Raw Organic Almonds

Food & Grocery Nuts Almonds

Truly Raw Organic Almonds

Name: Truly Raw Organic Almonds
Brand: Capay Hills Orchard

By Capay Hills Orchard

Buy from Capay Hills Orchard →

Health & Certification Facts

Truly raw — never pasteurized, never steamed, never irradiated, never treated in any form. Not pasteurized.
Off-ground tarp harvest — the innovative method that eliminates the salmonella contamination risk that caused the 2007 USDA pasteurization mandate in the first place
USDA Certified Organic — no synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers
Real Organic Project certified — an add-on certification verifying that farming practices actually match the organic label
Regenerative farming practices — no-till orchard, year-round ground cover of grass, clover, and dandelions to preserve pollinator habitat and prevent erosion
Dedicated equipment — all processing equipment is certified organic and free of other tree nuts, peanuts, grains, dairy, and soy
Single family farm in Esparto, California's Capay Valley — never co-mingled with almonds from any other source
Multiple California varieties available: Nonpareil, Monterey, Fritz, or mixed — choose your preference at time of order
2025 harvest — freshly harvested and stored in on-farm temperature and humidity controlled facility
Sproutable — biological proof of genuine raw status
Ships direct from the farm via USPS Priority Mail

Buy from Capay Hills Orchard →

Available Varieties — Choose at Order

Nonpareil — most popular, mild and versatile
Monterey — mellow and smooth
Fritz — full, robust flavor
½ Nonpareil + ½ Monterey — popular blend
Custom — contact the farm directly via email

More Gold Label Almonds

The Problem Solved at the Source

Capay Hills Doesn't Avoid Pasteurization. They Eliminated the Reason It Was Ever Needed.

The 2007 USDA pasteurization mandate exists because California almonds are harvested by shaking trees and sweeping the nuts off the ground — where they contact soil pathogens including salmonella. Capay Hills Orchard solved this problem the right way: by harvesting onto tarps. Their hydro-mechanical shaker is built into a catch frame tarp system that catches almonds directly off the tree, never touching the ground. The contamination pathway that made pasteurization seem necessary simply does not exist on this farm. That means no PPO fumigation — the EPA-classified probable carcinogen used on over 68% of US almonds. No steam treatment. No heat. The nuts go from tree to tarp to your door, untreated, alive, and whole.

Our Evaluation

Why Capay Hills Orchard Is the Most Naturally Safe Truly Raw California Almond

Every other truly raw California almond on the Gold Label list earns that designation through a legal exemption — the USDA's small farm roadside stand rule, which permits direct-to-consumer sales of untreated almonds regardless of the mandate. Capay Hills earns it through something more fundamental: they addressed the contamination problem at its root cause. Their off-ground tarp harvest system is the reason their almonds can be sold raw. It is not a workaround. It is the correct solution to the problem the pasteurization mandate was designed to solve.

Brian and Gretchen Paddock started Capay Hills Orchard in the beautiful Capay Valley of central California. All eight members of their family farm the 1,400 trees together. Their home is situated in the middle of the orchard — they drink the same water as their trees. That is not a farming philosophy statement. It is a practical reality that shapes every decision they make about what goes into the soil and water around their property. They do not spray herbicides. They do not use synthetic pesticides. They use flaming — burning weeds with a torch — to clear the strips between tree rows that tractors cannot mow, because they are not willing to strip-spray even when it would be significantly faster and cheaper.

The certification reflects this. USDA Organic is the baseline. The Real Organic Project adds a layer that the USDA label alone does not: it verifies that actual farming practices match what the organic label implies. Real Organic Project certification was created in response to growing concerns that USDA Organic had become diluted by industrial operations using hydroponic growing and other practices that undermine the spirit of the standard. A Real Organic Project farm is doing it the way organic farming was always meant to be done.

The variety choice available through Capay Hills is a meaningful benefit not offered by the other Gold Label almond farms. Customers can select Nonpareil for mild versatility, Monterey for a smoother profile, Fritz for fuller flavor, or a blend — and every variety comes from the same certified organic, tarp-harvested, truly raw orchard. This is the Gold Label almond for customers who want California-grown, want to understand exactly how the food safety question was resolved, and want to be able to choose the variety that suits how they eat.

Per Capay Hills Orchard

Off-ground tarp harvest — hydro-mechanical shaker built into a catch frame tarp system, eliminating ground contact and the salmonella contamination risk that triggered the USDA pasteurization mandate
Truly raw — never pasteurized by any means. No PPO, no steam, no heat, no irradiation.
USDA Certified Organic and Real Organic Project certified
No-till orchard with year-round ground cover of grass, clover, and dandelions — habitat for ground-nesting bees and other pollinators
Native pollinator plants alongside the orchard — beekeeper neighbor uses the native vegetation to breed queen bees
All equipment certified organic and dedicated exclusively to almonds — free of other tree nuts, peanuts, grains, dairy, and soy
Single family farm in Esparto, Capay Valley, California — all eight family members farm the property
2025 harvest, stored on-farm in temperature and humidity controlled facility
Multiple California varieties: Nonpareil, Monterey, Fritz, or blended

Buy from Capay Hills Orchard →

Transparency Flags — What Has Not Been Independently Verified

No independent third-party heavy metals testing (Lead Safe Mama, LLC or equivalent) has been published for Capay Hills almonds as of our evaluation date
The buy button links directly to their farm website.
Plastic zip-lock bag packaging — a meaningful negative under Gold Label standards. No glass option available.

These gaps do not diminish what Capay Hills represents. The off-ground harvest innovation, USDA Organic + Real Organic Project certifications, and dedicated allergen-free equipment make this the most food-safety-forward truly raw California almond available.

Bonham Gold Label Evaluation

Purity Profile

Pasteurization 5/5

Truly raw — confirmed by the farm and by their harvest method. Off-ground tarp harvest eliminates the ground contamination pathway that made pasteurization seem necessary. Never treated by PPO, steam, heat, or irradiation. Sproutable. The most mechanically sound solution to the pasteurization problem of any domestic almond producer.

Ingredients & Additives 5/5

Single ingredient: Organic Almonds. No bleaching agents, no preservatives, no synthetic additives, no processing aids of any kind. Processed in dedicated equipment free of other allergens and cross-contaminants.

Naturalness & Purity 4/5

Truly raw, single named family farm, off-ground tarp harvest, no-till orchard, year-round pollinator ground cover, dedicated equipment. Scored 4 rather than 5 because no independent third-party heavy metals testing has been published for this product.

Pesticides 5/5

USDA Certified Organic plus Real Organic Project certified — the latter specifically verifying that actual on-farm practices match the organic standard. No synthetic pesticides or herbicides. Weed control done by flaming rather than strip-spraying. The family lives on the property and drinks the same water as the trees — a powerful practical incentive for genuine chemical-free farming.

Heavy Metals 2/5

No independent third-party heavy metals testing has been published for this product. Score reflects absence of data, not confirmed contamination. Almonds are not a high-risk heavy metals category. We will update when independent testing becomes available.

Third-Party Verification 4/5

USDA Organic plus Real Organic Project — two independent certification bodies, the second specifically addressing enforcement gaps in the USDA standard. Strong verification stack for a small farm. No independent contaminant lab testing available, which prevents a perfect 5.

Transparency 5/5

Capay Hills explains their tarp harvest system, their organic practices, their family living situation, their pollinator program, and their equipment dedication in full detail on their website. They explain exactly why their almonds can be sold raw and what makes that possible. Single named family farm, all eight family members farming the property. Exceptional transparency for a small producer.

Packaging 2/5

Plastic zip-lock bag — a meaningful negative under Gold Label standards. No glass or paper option available. A category-wide limitation shared by all almond producers at this quality level. Transfer to a glass jar after opening is recommended.

Contaminant Status

What We Know About This Product

A transparent breakdown of every contaminant category and what is known — or not known — about this specific product.

Pasteurization / PPO

Confirmed truly raw. Never treated by PPO, steam, heat, or irradiation. The off-ground tarp harvest system eliminates the ground contamination pathway that is the underlying reason the USDA pasteurization mandate exists. No treatment was ever needed on this farm because the contamination risk was engineered out of the harvest process.

Pesticides & Herbicides

USDA Certified Organic plus Real Organic Project certified. No synthetic pesticides or herbicides. Weed management done by mechanical mowing and flaming. The Paddock family lives on the property and drinks the well water on the same land — a meaningful practical commitment to chemical-free farming beyond what any certification alone can convey.

Heavy Metals

No independent third-party heavy metals testing has been published for this product as of our evaluation date. This reflects absence of data, not confirmed contamination. Almonds are not a high-risk heavy metals category. We will update this page when independent testing becomes available.

GMO

USDA Certified Organic — GMO inputs are prohibited under organic certification. Real Organic Project certification adds further supply chain verification. No commercially approved GMO almond varieties exist anywhere in the world. Single named farm with full traceability.

Cross-Contamination

All processing equipment is certified organic and dedicated exclusively to almonds — free of other tree nuts, peanuts, grains, dairy, and soy. This is an unusual and meaningful food safety distinction. Most small almond farms process on shared equipment. Capay Hills does not.

Microplastics & Packaging

Plastic zip-lock bag packaging — a meaningful negative under Gold Label standards. No glass option available. Transferring to a glass jar after opening is recommended for those seeking to minimize plastic contact with food.

Truly Raw Organic Almonds

Capay Hills Doesn't Avoid Pasteurization. They Eliminated the Reason It Was Ever Needed.

Why Capay Hills Orchard Is the Most Naturally Safe Truly Raw California Almond

Purity Profile

What We Know About This Product

Ready to Try the Most Naturally Safe Raw California Almond?

Related Blog Posts