Blue Diamond’s business model is unique from most other California almond handlers and here’s why…
The Blue Diamond brand is the gold standard of quality; our 105 years of experience and unique, personal customer access position our co-op for continued market leadership. We remain the world’s largest and best seller of Nonpareil almonds with market expertise in the 93 countries which purchase our brown almonds. This heritage business remains very important to Blue Diamond’s customers and our growers.
In 2010, Blue Diamond’s executive team, with the support of our board of directors, determined the co-op would deliver the greatest return to its growers by transitioning into a global branded manufacturer of almonds. Manufacturing, marketing and selling value-added products is now our core business.
Innovation is one of our four core values at Blue Diamond. In fact, every major product innovation in the history of California almonds has come from Blue Diamond; a tradition key to our continued growth. Blue Diamond Snack Almonds alone represent 21 unique items in the average U.S. grocery store; driving snack almond consumption and growing the category sales across all snack nuts. We have been so successful in growing our Snack Almond, Almond Breeze, Nut*Thins and ingredients businesses that value-added products consume nearly every pollenizer almond variety delivered. The other 100-plus handlers in California mostly sell their pollenizers in the commodity brown almond space.
In this high-price almond environment, our innovation efforts are increasingly targeted at stretching the value of the almond further. Almond flour is a great example of finding the highest and best use for every almond. The growing consumer interest in gluten-free cooking and paleo diets makes this a highly demanded ingredient.
Looking toward a fifth consecutive year of rising almond prices, value-added sales act as an insurance policy for Blue Diamond growers. This unique approach makes us a different business model. In time, I believe that second only to their orchards, Blue Diamond growers will recognize that our brand and product innovation represent their most valuable assets.