The Almond Board of California’s marketing program has grown a lot since it started 20 years ago. Senior Director of Global Marketing Emily Fleischmann talked about the strides the program has made.
From the Almond Board:
Almond Board of California’s (ABC’s) consumer marketing program as we think of it today began almost 20 years ago. At that time, almonds were considered an unhealthy food. We’ve come a long way since then. Today, almonds are touted for health benefits and are an on-trend ingredient, being the most preferred nut for global new-product introductions since 2012.
During this time, the California Almond crop has grown by 1.5 billion pounds. That’s a 417% increase — from 366 million pounds to 1.9 billion pounds. Over the next three to four years, we anticipate an incremental 500 million pounds of additional production. Protecting the markets we have created and generating additional demand for almonds would be challenging even in a perfect world.
But there is a plan. Through our global demand analysis, ABC has a process to focus and prioritize our investments. Currently, ABC executes programs in eight different countries. The prioritization and investment are overseen by the Global Market Development Committee (GMDC). Programs currently exist in the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, India, China and South Korea. As we look to the future, we consider both new markets and expansion in these current markets. Read more from the Almond Board.