Blue Diamond® Is Efficient

What's inefficient about our industry is the fragmentation which has resulted in smaller pieces of the business controlled by 100 more handlers over the last decade.

Sourcing almonds from dozens of processors is impossible for many large customers who have specific needs for "designer" almonds. A typical manufacturer used to buy from six or eight processors and cover 85 percent of the production. Today it takes 25 or 30 handlers to do that.

This dispersion of supply makes some large users wary about developing new almond products or promoting existing ones.

Long-term, the solution is consolidation of supply within the industry to provide easier access to our specialized customers.

Such consolidation can only occur through earned performance and through an enlightened grower base.