KEY INTERVIEW: Recovery in Drought Conditions Sparks Surge in Almond R&D

08 Feb 2016 --- The Blue Diamond Almonds Global Ingredients Division, based in California, US, has been supplying almonds as an ingredient to big food manufacturers for decades and with its own in-house brand of almond products, is perfectly placed to appreciate the pride and challenges required to build a successful brand. Bill Morecraft, senior vice president of Blue Diamond Almonds Global Ingredients Division, spoke to FoodIngredientsFirst about the current trend for whole foods and how the easing of the Californian drought is making selling almonds an easier business.

“The Innovation Center can be used as a tool when we seek to meet customer and consumer demands,” says Morecraft. “We have the means to think ahead on trends, be it health or indulgence and take that back to the customer. For example, the use of the almond as a flavor carrier is popular, and this can create a new category, as in the honey roasted almond, which started out as just the almond as the carrier for the honey flavor.”

The almond, like many nuts, is seeing a surge in popularity. Almonds are currently featured in many new product launches as they fit into both the healthy and indulgent categories. Research suggests that the added flavor and crunch that almonds give, as well as the health benefits, means that they are used frequently in new chocolate confectionery launches.

On the other hand, the almond industry in the US, and specifically California, has suffered as a result of the four-year drought that has seen production dip and prices rise. However, Morecraft is positive that the situation in California has already and will continue to improve, which will spark an increase in almond production and hopefully bring prices down again.

“This year we are seeing more normal precipitation and snowfall, which should restore the reservoirs. This means that we are hoping to restore the crop levels and build a store of almonds. In the short term, what the drought has done is to interrupt supply, but I see a more positive long term outlook and prices coming back down,” he says.

“This year we are seeing robust supply returning more quickly than expected and a return to historically moderate pricing. We can also look at storage. Almonds store excellently; they have a one year ambient shelf-life and in cold storage, can be kept for several years.”

Given that the market has seen some positive movement in terms of increased supply and decreasing prices, Morecraft says that the industry is seeing some excitement in research & development.

“With consumers showing a great interest in whole foods, we definitely see growth in the almond as a productive economic ingredient. There are lots of traditional uses that end up becoming brand extensions for many food manufacturers, for example, there is tremendous growth in the on-the-go bar (cereal, granola, trail) category, as well as several new applications using almond as a flavor,” he says.

For the ingredients division, the general trend towards an appreciation of whole foods and dietary requirements like gluten-free has been a positive step for the growth of the trend for almonds. One of the division’s latest products is almond flour, which is used by consumers as an alternative to wheat grain and has seen a rise in popularity. While the product is not used widely as a gluten-free alternative in the food industry, largely due to the cost, consumers are using more almond flour for products such as desserts, as well as main meals, where wheat flour would normally be used.

“Gluten-free is the foundation for the trend for healthy eating,” says Morecraft. “We are using consumer groups to find out exactly how the trend will develop but almond flour’s rise in popularity is certainly due to an appreciation of whole foods and the trend for gluten-free. As the consistency improves and granulation becomes finer, almond flour’s use will certainly increase. Our Blue Diamond brand stands out because our experience as a grower of almonds gives us an edge. We are experts in the field of growing, processing, and selling almonds to the consumer and now as an ingredient.”

Looking to the future, Morecraft sees an increasing desire in many cultures for whole foods and an increase in the popularity of protein, in which the almond is abundant. It also satisfies the trend for a versatile product that has texture and crunch as well as supporting consumers in a move away from high fat, processed foods, to whole goodness, typified by tree nuts. For the Blue Diamond Global Ingredients Division, what’s good for the consumer is good for the almond.

By Kelly Worgan