CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE
12
Almond Facts
NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2016
Legacy of
Leadership
Drives Our
Future
On March 18, 1910, California
almond growers exchange
founder J.P. Dargitz set a new
course for the almond industry.
“We have come together
as growers, not seeking to
corner the market or cause the
consumer to pay more but to
steady the market…We have
come together with no slate
made up, seeking no position
or place of preferment but
with a sincere desire to put
the grower in control of the
situation which is rightly his.
This course persisted in will
surely bring us success.”
The visionary words of our founder
ring true today as we have maintained
our control through time and most
recently accomplished two remarkable
years back to back! Crop year 2015
brought the fourth year of severe
drought, heavy scrutiny on the water
use of almonds and record high prices
peaking just as the harvest of the 2016
crop began. The Godzilla El Niño
never materialized this past winter,
though water conditions did improve
in most locations. Then the price
of almonds fell to half of what they
were eight months earlier, causing an
extreme swing in the market before
finally resetting back to a more normal
trading range while continuing to
strengthen today. But, even with such
unprecedented volatility,
Blue Diamond
held firm, delivering another very
competitive return. We will continue
to face challenging times, it’s the
nature of agriculture, but
Blue Diamond
grower-owners will always enjoy
the unique benefit of controlling the
entire process of getting their crop into
homes around the world.
Clearly this year has shown that your
cooperative is a very potent weapon
for facing adversity and embracing
opportunity, making it essential that
we grow wisely. Success builds on
success as we have enjoyed the security
and consistency in strong returns
the last several years, bringing new
interest among growers. This surge
in new membership interest, paired
with added tonnage, has the potential
to overrun our value-added volume
and weaken your return. Though we
have traditionally encouraged growers
to join the cooperative, this year we
thoughtfully elected to pause and take
stock. I assure you we will continue to
grow but at a managed pace to protect
the current membership’s investments.
I believe this will protect your future
interests and sustain our success for
years to come.
Growing wisely and profitably is
made easier with the expertise of our
talented
Blue Diamond
team members.
They will guide us, pushing forward,
pursuing the right opportunities
and maximizing the cooperative’s
potential while also guarding our
very strong financial foundation.
The team’s successful partnerships
with USA Swimming and Volleyball
during the Summer Olympics
produced strong sales and brand
impressions and I am very excited
at the value yet to come from the
most recent sponsorship of the NBA
Sacramento Kings and new arena in
Sacramento.
Another highlight was our team’s
ability to drive quality and efficient
operations with the new electronic
sorting equipment and new, state of
art Nonpareil storage warehouse in
Salida. Additionally, the global sales
teams really stepped up with strong
growth of almond flour and almond
milk sales.
I know we are in good hands as the
team continues:
• building demand for
Blue Diamond
branded and ingredient value
added products,
• researching and developing new
products and uses for almonds,
• opening new markets around
the world,
• advocating on behalf of our
growers to counter the negative
onslaught of legislation and
regulation and;
• protecting our assets through
efficiency in operations and
margin enhancement.
Chairman’s Message
Dan Cummings
Chairman of the Board
