PRESIDENT’S CORNER
6
Almond Facts
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2016
President’s Corner
Mark Jansen
President and CEO
“Always bear in mind that your
own resolution to succeed is more
important than any other.”
– Abraham Lincoln
It’s that time of year again when people all over
the world set New Year’s resolutions for the year
to come. Just like everyone else, your management
team and board have set resolutions for
Blue
Diamond
to achieve in 2016 – goals that when
realized, will continue to set our cooperative apart
from the rest of the almond industry. I would like to
share some of those resolutions with you.
First and foremost, we reaffirm our commitment
to deliver industry-leading returns to our growers.
It is our mission to maximize the returns for
each grower who entrusts
Blue Diamond
with their
almonds and we keep this goal top of mind
throughout each and every year.
Our next resolution is to grow our
brands, building on existing
strengths and expanding into
exciting new arenas for
Blue
Diamond
. As you know, the
Blue Diamond
brand sets
our cooperative apart from
the rest of the industry and
adds value to the almond
products that we bring to
market. We aim to grow
our share of the value-added
manufactured almond market
through our almond ingredient
sales as well as our share of the
retail markets for snack nuts,
almond milk and specialty
crackers, both in the United
States and abroad.
Finally, in order to continue expanding our innovative
product offerings, we must continue to increase our share
of the California almond crop by accentuating the things
that set us apart from other handlers. Take our strong
and competitive grower returns for example. For more
than 10 years,
Blue Diamond
growers have been getting
DPAD benefits on top of their return, which have given
an additional $.02 to $.04 per pound after tax. Last year,
we became the only handler and first co-op to offer IC-
DISC advantages, which gave our average grower an
additional $.14 per pound after tax last year, and looks
to be closer to $.19 this year. The benefits of cooperative
membership only get better from there!
As I hope you can see, we are hard at
work on your behalf to make 2016
the best year yet for
Blue Diamond
Growers
. Our 1,400 employees
come in each day knowing and
appreciating that they work
for the most dedicated and
innovative almond growers
California has to offer. On
behalf of our team, I wish
you a happy, healthy and
successful 2016. Together we
are bringing the benefits of
almonds to the world!
The market is moving faster than the
speed of magazine publication, so
please update your member email or
go to
for
timely market leadership messages.
