CORNERING THE MARKET
At the heart of it, we represent the growers, and we must all get creative and work together to maximize their returns.
AF We will! So, are there any Canada-specific Blue Diamond products coming that you could share about, like Maple Almonds or anything like that ? CB The innovation team does a great job staying ahead of flavors and understanding what’s on trend by market. Yes, we have a portfolio of new flavors crafted for Canadians ready to go and we have some mainstay flavors like Smokehouse and Lightly Salted that need to increase their distribution footprint because they are top sellers for us, and we know people love them. AF Oh, that’s awesome. Have you tried any of the new flavors ? CB Yes, and they’re very delicious. But I develop a new favorite flavor constantly. First, Elote Almonds were my favorite. Then it was Blueberry Almonds. Now it’s Spicy Dill Pickle Almonds. They’re all so delicious! AF They are! It’s hard to keep one favorite when they’re all so good. So, you shared a little about some of the new team members who have joined the commercial team and you’ve expressed the importance of a strong team. What can we expect to see coming from these new team members and their contributions to Blue Diamond ? CB Chris Bolton is our new food service director. Every day, Chris works on our food service business, putting our products
into all the major distribution channels so they are used in culinary, in restaurants, and for grab-and-go opportunities. Craig DeSimone joined as our director of revenue growth management. He advises us on pricing and promotional strategy to make sure we have the right product at the right price at the right place and that we’re using analytics to study the influence pricing has on sales. As I mentioned earlier, our new Canada sales director, Montana Sly is pulling in many wins for us as well. And we’re working to have the right people in all the right accounts, so we’ve hired some key account managers and sales managers to round out the team and connect us to more customers. They’re already having a positive impact on booking us many features, displays and promotions. I’m pleased about that.
AF So you have a lot of confidence in the team ?
CB The team is incredible! We’re finding opportunities for many of our enthusiastic teammates to expand their responsibilities. We have a culture of accountability where team members understand the plan and their role in executing it. There’s such pride from the team when they share an idea. We might decide to run after an idea that a brand new team member has brought forward; if it’s a good idea, it doesn’t matter whose it was. At the heart of it, we represent the growers, and we must all get creative and work together to maximize their returns. We’re leaving no stone unturned.
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ALMOND FACTS
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