asking the right questions to find out what is most important so we can invest in what helps our growers the most. There are many factors to consider. We aim to focus on what adds value. Everyone in the supply chain has needs, from growers to companies making products like nutrition bars in China. It’s complex, but we are developing that roadmap. We hired Deloitte Consulting, one of the best in the global ag and food industries, to analyze what we were doing, and where future opportunities in different markets might be. My experience at Starbuck’s taught me that to make an impact, you need to break things down into smaller parts and lay out a clear plan. When I first started working on food at Starbuck’s, no one knew the steps or timeline for moving from testing a product to launching it to customers. I had come from PepsiCo where product development was a well-oiled machine. At Starbuck’s, it was much more complicated and took a great deal of discovery, planning and collaboration to create the food offerings and supply chain of today’s Starbuck’s. AF: Did that come as a surprise to you that they didn’t have a streamlined process ? CT: Yes, it was a shock. It helped me realize why we couldn’t execute food well across the U.S. I brought in the best people I knew in the supply chain to figure out who owned which parts. Then we mapped it out to find the intersections and create a timeline and process. When you go through experiences like that on that large a scale, you recognize that no matter what the project consists of, it helps to break down the parts, map it out and decide what’s most important, because resources are limited. You must focus on what’s important and eliminate what isn’t. AF: With that in mind, what have you found to be most important and impactful to our growers ? Of all the questions you’re asking, what is the number one thing for almond growers ? CT: In general, it’s to continue to drive consistent demand around the world because everything we do is to improve growers’ economics. Josette Lewis, ABC’s chief scientific officer, her team and our committees are very tuned in to what is realistic in terms of options or what may help grower operations. But the single biggest thing we can do is drive
consistent global demand. That will continue to keep global demand and supply moving smoothly. AF: Let’s talk about the market. What market trends are you currently monitoring and how are almonds positioned to capitalize on the trends ? CT: We’re monitoring a lot. High priority topics include environmental consciousness and carbon footprint. We’re looking at how to measure it all so we can support everything we say with facts, and get growers the recognition they deserve for practices they are already doing in their orchards. Generally, almonds show up well when you put them on an environmental comparison scale. The other thing is dietary trends. Many trends, like plant-based foods, are mainstream. People understand that eating more plant-based food is good for you and research supports that. Again, almonds align well here. New cardiometabolic research indicates the same thing. We just brought in experts from around the world who are highly respected in their fields to produce a white paper on cardiometabolic health. These experts critically analyzed 30 years of almond research and came to a consensus on the health areas where science strongly shows almonds’ benefits. Their white paper concluded that eating almonds daily is proven to support overall heart health, weight management and the gut microbiome. The paper has already been published by a prestigious peer-reviewed scientific journal. We will ensure it gets significant publicity in the healthy, scientific and consumer channels. We’re continuing to understand more about the human body and how almonds improve health, which informs us about what to research next. AF: What strategies are you currently employing to help almonds compete in the global market ? CT: There are a few important points. First, we want to move from just being a snack to also being seen as an ingredient. We aim to be the top choice for ingredients in countries where almonds can be used in products like snacks, baked goods, breakfast items, or bars. If a country doesn’t have the right infrastructure but has potential, we are working
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