Almond Flour Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Nature (Conventional, Organic), By Form (Blanched, Natural), By End-Use (Household, Foodservice, Industrial) Others and Regional Forecast, 2024-2032

Almond flour is gluten-free nut flour that is made out of blanched (which does not contain skin) and unblanched almonds. The ingredient is used as a substitute for wheat flour in baked products and baked commodities as it contains fewer carbohydrates. The United States, Australia, and Spain are the three largest producers of almonds. According to a National Producers’ Association, in 2018-19, Spain produced 61,000 tonnes of almonds.

The almond flour market is driven by its functional attributes, including high protein content, manganese content, and healthy monounsaturated fats. One of the trends observed in the global almond flour market is increasing consumer’s inclination towards gluten-free diets, consuming grain-free flours such as sunflower seed flour, almond flour, and coconut flour. Almond flour has a good taste and is incredibly nutritious; hence, it is steadily finding applications in many food products. Almond flour is rich in vitamin E and acts as antioxidants that help in reducing the risks of various heart diseases and promotes health, which is another crucial factor that is driving its demand across the health-conscious population.

Globally, a rapid upsurge in demand for almond flour has been observed in recent years, especially across the bakery industry, for the production of a diverse range of baked products, including cookies, cakes, and quick slices of bread, and in macarons. Furthermore, the high shelf-life of the product, along with its potential to improve the texture, taste, and appearance of certain food products, is driving the market demand of almond flour.

It is a well-known and well-accepted fact that the majority of flour varieties available in the market are composed of unhealthy saturated fats, and in some cases, they also contain a considerable amount of trans-fats and gluten. Increasing demand for various almond rich products including almond butter and almond oil, is one of the factors that is projected to drive the growth of the global almond flour market during the foreseeable years. Additionally, almond flour helps in promoting the regulation of blood pressure and takes care of overall heart health, which is further expected to amplify the demand for the product.

Major players that are operating in the global almond flour market are engaged in launching new and innovative products and also centering on merger and acquisition activities to increase their significance and share in the global market. For instance, In June 2017, Almond Pro announced the re-release of its high protein almond flour- the product claims to be 100% organic and contains 65% less fat than conventional almond flour and is a gluten-free product.

The presence of alternatives such as coconut flour, sunflower seed flour, and others is some of the major factors hampering the growth of the global almond flour market.

Key Players Covered:

Key players that are operating in the global almond flour market include Honest to Goodness, Blue Diamond Growers, Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods, Honeyville, Grain-Free JK Gourmet, Hodgson Mill, Inc., Treehouse California Almonds, Inc., Nature's Eats Inc., and Nature’s Choice.

Blanched almond flour is the leading type in the global market owing to the high usage of blanched almond flour for baking and intense demands from other end-use sectors such as beverages, savory snack preparations, and others. Blanched almond flour is extensively utilized in cookies, pieces of bread, hard baked goods, and used as a breading for meats and vegetables. Blanched almond flour is also used in foodservice sectors, especially for giving a moist texture and rich buttery flavor to cookies, cakes, muffins. In the upcoming years, the demand for natural almond flour is projected to increase significantly, attributed to increasing health concerns among consumers across the globe.

Bakery remains one of the leading end-use sectors as compared to other end users, wherein the functional importance of the almond flour is useful in the production of bread products such as cookies, pastries, etc. Almond flour has been increasingly used as a go-to ingredient for low carbohydrates and gluten-free baked products, and also in grain-free baking recipes. Furthermore, a growing consumer appetite for healthy snacks and beverage products is expected to escalate the demand for the product among the aforementioned end-use sectors.

Regional Analysis:

Europe is projected to dominate the global almond flour market due to its well-developed foodservice and bakery sectors, where the demand for healthier and nutritious ingredients is increasing. Consumers in Europe prefer to consume nutrition-rich food products, primarily the freshly baked products including bread, cakes, muffins, and pastries. The European region has a fragmented bakery and foodservice sectors that consist of many independent and private bakery and confectionery sectors.

This represents a massive potential for almond flour producers that are offering organic, clean-label and highly convenient products. In the Asia Pacific, the demand for almond flour is expected to rise crucially during the forecast years attributed to the increasing population of the region, which is further leading to the growth of food processing and food service industry across the region and generating the demand for “better-for-you” ingredients and healthy food products.

Segmentation

Key Industry Developments

• In August 2017, Blue Diamond Growers, which is a US-based company decided to increase the company’s almond flour production capacity for on-go trend ingredient by a new processing line at its Salida manufacturing complex.