Blue Diamond Opens Almond Innovation Center

SACRAMENTO, Calif.Blue Diamond expanded its Sacramento headquarters to include the 6,500 square-foot Blue Diamond Almond Innovation Center, the worlds only research center dedicated to designing cutting-edge almond products.

Blue Diamond, a cooperative owned by over half of the states almond growers, expects to increase new almond product sales growth fivefold over the next five years. The new facility will be a showcase for initiating new almond product concepts for our consumer business and for the most innovative global food companies," said Blue Diamond President and CEO Mark Jansen.

The success of Blue Diamonds investment in new snack products broke all sales records in the North American market in 2012. While Blue Diamonds snack almond business grew 21%, the Almond Breeze Aseptic Milk business jumped 21% and chilled Almond Milk sales rose 59%. Nut Thins cracker sales rose 28%. In the global ingredients business where almonds are used in a variety of foods, sales increased 35%, and almonds remained in first place as the leading nut in new food products worldwide. Value-added revenues over the last two years are up 69%.

On March 14, Blue Diamond received the Powering Innovation Capstone Award at SACTOs annual Salute to New Industry luncheon. The Capstone Awards recognize and celebrate leadership and excellence in driving growth and prosperity in the Sacramento region.

Blue Diamond will open Phase 1 of its new 88-acre Turlock plant in May 2013 and hire up to 100 employees. This will bring incremental capacity to the organization, which already has the worlds largest existing almond processing facilities in Sacramento and Salida, Calif.

Adding processing capabilities to Blue Diamonds existing operations is part of a plan to expand its brand globally. The strategy is already paying off as the cooperatives global value-added ingredient business leaped 69% over the last two years and global consumer-branded businesses increased 45%.