CORNERING THE MARKET
20
Almond Facts
JULY | AUGUST 2016
Almond Flour a Hit at Costco
Blue Diamond’s
almond flour has struck a chord
with those eager for a gluten-free flour that
will add a nutritional component and pleasing
flavor profile that other gluten-free flours lack.
Whether it’s for home baking or incorporation
as an ingredient for a food company’s product,
almond flour helps the cooperative capitalize
on the growth trend for healthy ingredients.
With this exciting new product comes exciting
new channels for trade, particularly within the
bakery category and in club stores.
Building on the excitement over almond flour by home
cooks and food scientists alike, Costco recently launched
Blue Diamond Almond Flour
in a three-pound bag for its
members. The packaging,
which features an “easy-
touch freshness seal,”
proudly portrays the
Blue
Diamond Almonds
logo front
and center, building on the
brand equity established
by the cooperative’s
consumer products and
ingredients businesses.
“Consumers really
connect with the
Blue Diamond
brand
and quality. We are
happy to bring our
first commercially
available ingredient
product, almond flour,
to Costco to continue
differentiating ourselves
from the other handlers
in the industry,” said Bill
Morecraft,
Blue Diamond’s
Senior Vice President for Global Ingredients. “As the
food industry’s first choice for almond ingredients,
our almond flour is the best of the best, and we take
tremendous pride in our products.”
As the team continues to look for ways to connect
ingredient items with the attributes that consumers are
looking for, they are exploring expanded opportunities
for other value-added manufacturing products.
“Consumers are looking for natural and convenient
snacks that fit a healthy lifestyle.,” Morecraft said. “At
Blue Diamond
, we work closely with our manufacturing
customers to develop product solutions that meet
consumers’ needs.”
Greek Yogurt and
Almonds are a
Winning Combination
The yogurt aisle may not be the first place a person
would think to look for almonds, but thanks to a
burgeoning trend for Greek yogurt with almonds as a
mix-in ingredient, several new Fage Greek yogurt items
now contain flavored slices of
Blue Diamond
almonds.
The new line, called Fage Crossovers, brings “chef-
level” snacking to consumers everywhere with seven
intriguing flavor combinations that are as distinct as they
are delicious. The three flavor combinations that contain
almonds are:
“Caramel with Almonds,” offering
a caramel blended low-fat Greek
yogurt topped with
Blue Diamond
honey-roasted almond slices.
