Blue Diamond Growers reported just a slight gain in its annual almond sales while touting new efforts to reach consumers, including selling mixed nuts for the first time.
The Sacramento-based cooperative brought in $1,331, 935,000 in the fiscal year ending Aug. 30, up just 0.17% from $1,329,241,000 the previous year. Normally, such numbers are rounded off in the business press, but that would put both years at $1.33 billion.
Blue Diamond employs about 1,400 people at its headquarters and at processing plants in Salida and Turlock. It is the largest player in the California industry, which accounts for about 80% of the world supply.
Almonds go into milk and crackers, too
Most of the nuts are sold plain to food manufacturers around the world. Blue Diamond also makes its own brand of snack nuts, milk under the Almond Breeze label, and Nut-Thins crackers.
The sales figures were announced at the 114th annual meeting at Modesto Centre Plaza on Nov. 20. Each fiscal year roughly coincides with the start of harvest and the sales that ensue over the next 12 months.