Blue Diamond Do you know how many different ways there are to enjoy an almond? According to agricultural cooperative Blue Diamond Growers, quite a few. After several years of brutal drought, recently California's almond crop finally recovered with a harvest returning to record levels of over 2 billion pounds of shelled nuts! Nuts, like most agricultural products, are, of course, perishable. Thus, it is now up to Blue Diamond Growers to encourage consumer demand around the world to ensure consumption of the record production. Much of the hoped for growth will likely be through new product development. Blue Diamond Growers President and CEO Mark Jansen clearly understands this: "By 2022, we expect that half of our value-added growth will be from products that didn't exist in 2017 The California Almond Grower's Exchange began in 1910, and today it represents the world's largest tree nut processing companies, serving more than 3,500 growers. The cooperative produces over 80 percent of the world's almond supply and offers almonds in a range of forms. Products are marketed through the Blue Diamond Growers, which is dedicated to discovering and building customers by establishing new products, finding new uses, and creating new opportunities. Core brands include Blue Diamond roasted almonds. Crafted Snack almonds, Almond Breeze almond milk, and Nut Thins nut and nice cracker snacks. The original product, snack almonds, already comes in many tasty varieties, but that doesn't stop Blue Diamond from seeking out new ways to grow the brand. In recent years, they introduced a family of flavors branded as "Bold," with tastes described as "bold, brash, and daring enough to stand out in any crowd." Example flavors include Sriracha, Sweet Thai Chili, Wasabi & Soy Sauce, and Habanero BBQ. Their latest family of flavors carries the brand of Crafted Gourmet Almonds, an exciting line offering even more unique flavors, such as Pink Himalayan Salt Rosemary and Sea Salt, and Black Truffle. Here, a unique process removes the almond skins to create a smooth texture and nutty Crunch and then the nuts are roasted. seasoned, and cured using herbs and spices to create a rich, savory taste. Because of a growing consumer desire for lower-fat and more nutritious alternatives, milk drinkers have been seeking substitutes for dairy, Almond Breeze almond milk is low in calories and saturated fat and also is a good source of calcium and vitamin E. These benefits are one of the reasons why the U.S. Ski & Snowboard team adopted the product as its official almond milk, adding to the selection of Blue Diamond almonds as its official snack nut for the 2018 winter competitions and beyond. Through this partnership, Blue Diamond works with the team's high-performance dieticians and chefs to incorporate these products into the athletes' meal plans. Nut Thins are a crunchy cracker made with rice and nuts. The snacks are baked, not fried, and contain no genetically modified organisms (GMOs), gluten artificial ingredients, or trans fats. They are promoted as ideal for snacking or as a tasty appetizer. Examples of flavors include Smokehouse, Pecan, and Hint of Sea Salt. A Subcategory called Artisan Nut Thins includes Flax Seed, Sesame Seed, Chia Seed, and Asiago Cheese flavors. A recent growth approach through product development for Blue Diamond is a new line of honey-flavored products. This new theme is applied across its Snack Almonds, Nut Thins, and Almond Breeze brands (examples: Honey Roasted Chipotle Almonds Honey Cinnamon Nut Thins, Hint of Honey Vanilla almond milk). Al Greenlee, Director of Marketing at Blue Diamond Growers, asserts, "Honey is growing in popularity as a great natural alternative to sugar 2. What factors are important in understanding this decision situation