10
Almond Facts
MARCH | APRIL 2016
The
Blue Diamond
board of directors took an in-depth tour of the Sacramento processing facility in
conjunction with their February board meeting at the cooperative’s headquarters. While significant
improvement projects in Salida and Turlock have received much attention, the Sacramento facility has
also been implementing important projects of its own to support global manufacturing operations
key focus areas of safety, quality, customer service, and performance. The tour was the perfect
opportunity to familiarize the board with these projects and show how each is helping to contribute to
a better bottom line for
Blue Diamond’s
grower-owners.
Jeff Hatfield,
Blue Diamond’s
Sacramento site director,
recently joined the cooperative and was excited for the
opportunity to show off the plant and experienced team he
now leads. “We wanted to highlight the strategic importance
of our Sacramento site in terms of the volume we support,
the positive impact the site has on the overall operation, and
the value of our experienced team members, who have 27
years of average tenure,” he said. “The team did a great job
to ensure the visit was a success. The factory looked great
and some team members presented projects to the Board
that have delivered great value to the organization.”
Hatfield described, the tour, which took the board on a
ride around the main factory and infrastructure involving
the Distribution Center, receiving, storage silos, and shop
areas. They viewed some of the busiest operations housed
within the 90-acre property in Sacramento, including the
Blue Diamond
Building (red brick building located adjacent
to the main factory), the Main Production Line, Inshell
line, the Manufacturing area of the plant and finally,
through Retail Packaging. The tour also highlighted
the Test Room, where all quality testing is completed to
determine grower payments, as well as the cooperative’s
ISO Certified Laboratory that ensures food safety on
finished product shipments to meet highest customer
standards. The ISO is a globally recognized authoritative
body that sets standards for food manufacturing facilities.
Board Directors Gain Insight into
Sacramento Plant Operations
