Blue Diamond Growers

Blue Diamond Growers is an agricultural cooperative and marketing organization that specializes in California almonds. Founded in 1910 as the California Almond Growers' Exchange, the organization claims to be the world's largest tree nut processing and marketing company. It serves 3,500 almond growers, and helps make the almond crop (valued at over $1 billion) California's largest food export.

The company produces almonds and almond-derived products in various forms, including roasted almonds, almond milk, and crackers.[3] The cooperative is privately held. In 2021, the company reported annual revenue of $1.59 billion.[4]

The organization is headquartered in Sacramento, California, with two other manufacturing plants in Salida, California and Turlock, California.[5]

From 2004 to 2008 it resisted attempts by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union to organize workers at its processing plant. Blue Diamond was found by the National Labor Relations Board to have violated a federal labor law in its campaign against the union.[6] In November 2008, however, the union lost an NLRB-supervised vote to establish a branch.[7]

See also

  • Calpak Plant No. 11
  • Diamond of California – an unrelated walnut growing company (and former cooperative)

References

  1. Mark Anderson. Agriculture Executive to Watch: Kai Bockmann Sacramento Business Journal, January 23, 2023, retrieved March 14, 2023^
  2. John Holland. Blue Diamond reports $1.59 billion in revenue. Almond milk from Turlock is a hit The Modesto Bee, December 2, 2020, retrieved March 14, 2023^
  3. John Holland. Blue Diamond reports $1.59 billion in revenue. Almond milk from Turlock is a hit The Modesto Bee, December 2, 2020, retrieved March 14, 2023^
  4. Blue Diamond Growers Sacramento Business Journal, retrieved March 14, 2023^
  5. John Holland. Blue Diamond reports $1.59 billion in revenue. Almond milk from Turlock is a hit The Modesto Bee, December 2, 2020, retrieved March 14, 2023^
  6. Celia Lamb. Blue Diamond Growers won't appeal NLRB decision Sacramento Business Journal, April 18, 2006, retrieved March 10, 2015^
  7. Michael Doyle. Judge rejects union's challenge to Blue Diamond election McClatchy, September 21, 2009, retrieved February 18, 2021^