It seems consumers worldwide cannot get enough almonds. There is growing demand for almonds and derivative forms of the nut, such as almond milk, almond flour and almond butter. In fact, global almond production has approximately doubled in the past 10 years, from 600,000 tons to 1.2 million tons. And global demand has kept pace.
Consumers are attracted to almonds because of their nutritional value; they are a great source of protein, fiber, vitamin E and magnesium. But they aren’t the only ones jumping on the almond bandwagon. Investors that believe in diversification and the value of a multi-asset class portfolio are discovering the benefits of investing in this permanent crop, which can provide income, long-term capital gains and tax benefits.
Southern California–based Crawford Park Farming AG (CPF) is seeking to tap into this opportunity and the prospect of continued expanding global demand for almonds. In January, Crawford Park released a private placement memorandum, offering accredited investors the opportunity to purchase interests in Almonds+ LLC, a permanent crops fund.
“Investing in almonds is also investing in water,” notes Mark Crawford, president of CPF. “We buy almond orchards with two sources of water: well water from a sustainable supply of ground water and from an irrigation district with good water rights. Farm land with good water fundamentals will increase in value.”
The Almonds+ LLC fund is seeking to raise a minimum of $5 million and possibly as much as $30 million. The subscription price is $50,000 per unit. The offering will continue until the earliest of June 30, 2019, if the minimum amount of $5 million has been raised, or to the latest of Sept. 30, 2019.
The fund’s strategy focuses on acquiring, owning and operating properties located within the agricultural regions of California that are, or will be, planted with permanent crops, primarily almond trees. Some acquired properties may have additional crops, such as walnut and pistachio trees and grapevines.
For more information, visit Crawford Park’s website at www.cpfag.com.
