“GOOD TO BE A MEMBER”Knowledge is power andpride for young leaders»Cory Ramos, participantfrom District 6: “Seeing <strong>the</strong>international side of <strong>the</strong> businessand what <strong>Blue</strong> <strong>Diamond</strong> does forus made me proud to be a <strong>Blue</strong><strong>Diamond</strong> grower.”Learning about <strong>the</strong> business side of <strong>the</strong>ir cooperative stirred feelingsof awe and pride in <strong>the</strong> 30 young growers who participated in <strong>the</strong> 2012Class of <strong>Blue</strong> <strong>Diamond</strong>’s Young Leader Program. These feelings led <strong>the</strong>superlatives voiced by <strong>the</strong> young growers at <strong>the</strong>ir graduation dinner inModesto <strong>the</strong> evening before <strong>the</strong> 2012 Annual <strong>Growers</strong> Meeting.They, along with four young bankers who serve <strong>the</strong> almond community, visited <strong>Blue</strong><strong>Diamond</strong>’s plant and headquarters in Sacramento in January, toured <strong>the</strong> state capitol andmet with legislators and legislative advocates who represent <strong>the</strong>m in <strong>the</strong> Capitol. In June,<strong>the</strong>y learned about operations at <strong>the</strong> Salida plant, saw almond trees being prepared forsale to growers, and witnessed <strong>the</strong> assembly of almond harvesting equipment.From <strong>the</strong>se adventures, along with interaction with <strong>the</strong> cooperatives elected directors andtop management, <strong>the</strong> young growers said that <strong>the</strong>y developed a deep appreciation for <strong>the</strong>work <strong>the</strong>ir cooperative does on <strong>the</strong>ir behalf around <strong>the</strong> world. Some of <strong>the</strong>ir comments:Andrew and Dyana Parsons, District 7 participants: “The Young Leader Program was an eye opener. It has helped usdo our job better.”Eric Cabral, participant from District 7: “I appreciated learning what <strong>the</strong> future holds for <strong>the</strong> almond industry.”Sean and Valerie Shick, participants from District 9: “The biggest takeaway for us was meeting <strong>the</strong> team that runs <strong>Blue</strong><strong>Diamond</strong> and seeing how competent and professional <strong>the</strong>y are.”Eric and Theresa Heinrich, District 5 participants: “ <strong>Blue</strong> <strong>Diamond</strong> achieves a level of unsurpassed excellence. It isconstantly adding value-added products. We are proud to be members!”Brandon Longstreth, District 4 participant: “I didn’t know much about <strong>Blue</strong> <strong>Diamond</strong>. I discovered how impressive it is— <strong>the</strong> plants, product development, market development — all that it does for us.”A Fantastic TimeMark Jansen, President and CEO, in a brief hint of what he would discuss in his annual meetingremarks <strong>the</strong> next day, noted that in spite of <strong>the</strong> difficult business climate in <strong>the</strong> United States and,especially, in California, <strong>Blue</strong> <strong>Diamond</strong> believes it is time to expand operations with a new, ultraefficient,state-of-<strong>the</strong>-art almond processing facility in Turlock.“We developed a 15-year vision of what we think we need to efficiently process your crops in<strong>the</strong> years ahead. That shared long-term vision was critical in making <strong>the</strong> big leap to saying, ‘Yes,we should invest to assure our continued success,’” Jansen said. “It was a collective decision by<strong>the</strong> board and <strong>the</strong> leadership team. It is a three-phase project with <strong>the</strong> first phase to be ready foroperations next summer. When you see that first phase you will say, ‘Wow, this is impressive!’ Thisis a fantastic time to be part of <strong>Blue</strong> <strong>Diamond</strong> <strong>Growers</strong>.”Selling to <strong>the</strong> World<strong>Blue</strong> <strong>Diamond</strong> almonds flow from California orchards to consumers in nearly every corner of <strong>the</strong>world, explained Warren Cohen, Director of Sales for <strong>the</strong> Global Ingredients Division. “If youare walking down a supermarket aisle in <strong>the</strong> U.S., Japan, any nation of <strong>the</strong> European Unionor any Asian country, you will see cereals, chocolate products, bakery goods, processed foodsand snacks that incorporate <strong>Blue</strong> <strong>Diamond</strong> almonds as one of <strong>the</strong> main ingredients.”30 Almond Facts NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2012»Lynae Lucchesi,daughter of BoardMember SteveVan Duyn andparticipant fromDistrict 5: “It wasgreat to see how<strong>Blue</strong> <strong>Diamond</strong>does what itdoes.”
“Your almonds are everywhere — in pastry shops in Istanbul,bazaars in India and across <strong>the</strong> Middle East, in chocolatecoveredalmonds being sold in Beijing or Shanghai. <strong>Blue</strong><strong>Diamond</strong> sells to <strong>the</strong> world!” he said. Our Almond They havelearned which planes not to fly, which airlines to avoid, andhow to overcome jet lag and hit <strong>the</strong> ground running when<strong>the</strong>y get to <strong>the</strong>ir destinations, no matter how remote, he said.Being able to adapt to a wide range of customer types andneeds is critical, he said. “We visit multinational companies todiscuss new product ideas, quality issues and specifics about<strong>the</strong> nutritional benefits of almonds. The next day we may besitting on a cushion on <strong>the</strong> floor with our shoes off drinkingtea and making a deal with a local merchant.”“Having this flexibility and close relationships with ourcustomers in each region is vital to our success anddifferentiates us from our competitors,” he said. “Whenwe meet face-to-face we learn much more and develop arapport that leads to more business.”Cohen and his team also work closely with <strong>the</strong> U.S. ForeignAgriculture Service and U.S. Embassies around <strong>the</strong> world todiscuss duty issues, market access problems and to developties, which can be important when a problem occurs. Histeam participates in leading food shows around <strong>the</strong> world, andserves on key committees of <strong>the</strong> Almond Board of California.Cohen meeting with customers in a unique office settingin Old Delhi, India.Almonds in an open-air spice market in India.»»Prevents Crown Gall, a seriousplant disease that reduces yieldsand shortens <strong>the</strong> life of your trees,vines, and shrubs.Eradicates galls on diseasedplants. The only product thatcontrols Crown Gall aftertumors are formed.Costs OnlyPenniesPer Tree!530.586.1561 | www.agbiochem.com | agbiochem9@gmail.comNOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2012 Almond Facts 31
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