NEWS IN A NUTSHELL
16
Almond Facts
MAY | JUNE 2017
Learn, Grow and
Lead with the
MASTERS Program
Blue Diamond
recently held a seminar for member-growers
to keep them informed of the cooperative’s operations,
its role in the marketplace and the forces that affect
California almond growers. More than 50 growers
attended the one-day MASTERS program event at the
Blue Diamond
site in Turlock.
In its second year, MASTERS is designed to take
seasoned almond growers’ knowledge of the cooperative
and the California almond industry to a new level. The
goal of the program is to cover key topics including future
trends and provide information critical for members of
Blue Diamond Growers
.
“MASTERS is the next ideal step for members who are
interested in expanding their knowledge of the almond
industry,” said Mel Machado,
Blue Diamond
director
of member relations. “Educating our growers is an
important part of what makes the cooperative successful.”
The cooperative welcomed industry professionals, Ag
Council President Emily Rooney and California Farm
Water Coalition Executive Director Mike Wade, who
provided valuable information on the current legislative
and water issues facing California agriculture.
Attendees also had the opportunity to hear directly
from the
Blue Diamond
team as to the work being done
on bringing quality and value to growers and consumers.
The Global Ingredients Division team discussed the
current almond market, new developments in product
innovation and the reason for building relationships
with customers.
“Understanding our customers and investing the time in
getting to know them really pays off,” said Bill Morecraft,
Blue Diamond
senior vice president of global ingredients.
“Those kinds of relationships go a long way.”
Continuing the conversation on innovation was Mary
Busch,
Blue Diamond
director of innovation marketing. She
introduced the new Idea to Launch process (I2L) that was
created to be a more efficient and effective way to deliver
innovation. “We want to remain the undisputed leader in
almond innovation so that we can continue to deliver new
and exciting ways for consumers to enjoy the goodness of
Blue Diamond
almonds and, ultimately, more value to our
grower community,” said Mary.
The seminar also addressed the recent accomplishments
of consumer marketing and how the value-added market
will affect the cooperative. “The reason we are doing so
well is because of growers like you,” said Raj Joshi,
Blue
Diamond
senior vice president for global consumer. “Our
brands are doing well and we feel good about the future.”
Each attendee also had the opportunity to participate in
an almond variety tasting and a tour of the Turlock plant.
“The cooperative is committed to strengthening the
partnership between employees, grower-owners and
industry partners and the MASTERS program helps
to achieve this,” said Mel. “We look forward to holding
future events.”
Contact your regional manager for more information
about upcoming
Blue Diamond
meetings and seminars.
