sept-oct-2019

CULTIVATING SUSTAINABILITY was and the challenges involved. Their familiarity with farming produced a trust in the food they purchased in their local grocery store; questions like “what farm did this come from ? ” were unheard of. Here’s the problem today: Unfamiliarity has bred contempt, or at least suspicion, and the belief that farmers are not farming in the “right way.” The general perception of factory farms, combined with increasing stresses on the resources we use to produce our crops, have created a situation where consumers are beginning to ask questions about the food they consume, questions beyond their food’s health benefits (or lack thereof). People are very interested in what they eat and what’s used to produce it. Just consider the popularity of shows on the Food Network and the Farm to Table Movement. Consumers want to know more about their food, who grows it and how it is grown. At Blue Diamond we have worked to capitalize on that consumer desire by including our grower-owners in our advertisement campaigns. By showing actual almond growers in social media posts, TV ads, and beyond, we’re working to make a strong connection between our growers and our customers. In addition, many of you may not know that we regularly take our customers out into the orchard to meet growers and learn how they are growing almonds. While these efforts are helping us connect with our customers, a broader understanding of the California almond industry is needed to capture the full picture of what we do in our orchards every day. After considering several options, Blue Diamond determined that participation in the Almond Board’s California Almond Sustainability Program (CASP) Blue Diamond Growers does not endorse or verify statements made by advertisers within this publication. 2 2 A L M O N D F A C T S