Record Growth Powers Stellar Return to Blue Diamond Growers

MODESTO, Calif., Nov. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Diamond Growers heads into 2012 powered by growth in all business segments, new product launches and a manufacturing expansion plan to support its global business, according to President and CEO Mark Jansen who addressed the cooperative's grower-owners at their 101st annual member meeting. It achieved a record sales year of $825 million and, based on current growth trends, is slated to be a billion dollar business within the next two to three years.

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He added that Blue Diamond led the California almond industry with grower returns on the 2010 crop. With farming costs increasing for fuel, fertilizer and chemicals, almond revenues must increase on a per acre basis to ensure grower profitability. Blue Diamond projects the 2011 crop should achieve a new record in returns per acre.

According to Jansen, the record sales year was driven by a 34 percent increase in the global use of almonds as an ingredient in other foods, double-digit growth in every U.S. branded consumer product line and a newly launched international plan to establish national distribution of Blue Diamond snack almonds across the United Kingdom. "We are working to translate our brand's success to tastes around the world."

Blue Diamond's consumer marketing team charges into 2012, fresh off the launch of two new products, Nut Chips and a new Almond Breeze almond-coconut milk blend. Support for the new Nut Chips line, a product Jansen calls "a healthier almond-based tortilla chip," and the expansion of Almond Breeze stems from 33 percent growth in the last year for Nut*Thins crackers, 22 percent growth for Aseptic Breeze and 91 percent growth for Chilled Almond Breeze.

To support Blue Diamond's ambitions to add value to all business segments globally and to meet consumer demand for healthy products, it recently purchased 88 acres of land in Turlock and targeted the parcel as the site of its newest manufacturing facility. The first phase of the facility will open in May of 2013. The plan includes upgrades to both the Sacramento and Salida plant where new technologies are expected to realize Blue Diamond's promise to squeeze savings out of every upgraded process on an annual basis. This year alone, the cooperative drove $14 million of savings out of its operations through innovation, according to Jansen. "With this mindset," he said, "in time, the miracle of compounding profits takes over!"

DFA of California named Blue Diamond's Sacramento facility "Plant of the Year." Blue Diamond Growers is the world's largest almond marketer and processor. It is responsible for developing the industry and opening world markets more than 100 years ago when Spain and Italy were the major producers of almonds. While the U.S. market is the largest single market for almonds, more than 70 percent of them are exported to 95 countries worldwide. Almonds are California's largest food export and they rank among the top ten food exports in America. California produces more than 80 percent of the world's almond supply.

SOURCE Blue Diamond Growers