ABC showed U.S. consumers that with almonds, there's nothing you can't do.
Every day, consumers around the world are choosing California almonds as a staple ingredient of their healthy lifestyles — and our industry is continuing to capitalize on that success. As we look to celebrate National Almond Day tomorrow, we are excited by our product’s unique market position and all they ways that almonds make life better.
A crop with versatile benefits, almonds support healthy living in different ways among different cultures — from diet to beauty to mental agility.
In the U.S., the largest almond market, consumers count on almonds to fuel their day-to-day activities. Almonds are packed in lunch boxes and stored in cubicles to be enjoyed multiple times throughout day. Other products like almond milk and almond butter make their way into healthy recipes in a variety of meals. Marketing programs administered by the Almond Board of California (ABC) work to reinforce these consumer behaviors to ensure almonds remain a dietary and lifestyle choice each day.
Other Western countries have a mindset similar to the U.S., with a perspective of focusing on natural ways to live well.
ABC launched its first-ever consumer snack ad campaign in Germany featuring the hallmark California sun.
Consumers in Mexico, for example, lead busy lives so the convenient and healthy snacking feature of almonds helps them conquer their day. “own their everyday” regardless of what their day holds. This mindset inspired a consumer campaign in Mexico, “Ponte Almendra,” that helped boost almond shipments by 20% in 2018.1
Snacking culture is also a strong trend in Europe, where consumers place a big emphasis on sustainability. Capitalizing on this attitude, the Almond Board demonstrates how almonds are beneficial for both consumers and the planet, an effort which resulted in awareness of almonds as a snack in key European regions increasing 16 percentage points on average over the past decade.2 Beyond the numbers, California almonds even earned a royal endorsement in 2018 when Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex, attributed her beautiful ‘Markle Sparkle’ complexion to her love for almonds and almond butter and the benefits they have for her skin.
Similarly, in Asia-Pacific countries — the destination of 300 million pounds of almonds last year — almonds mean more than nutrition. These consumers know to rely on almonds for skin and beauty benefits, thanks to almonds’ high vitamin E content. ABC’s marketing campaigns leveraged the fact that no other nut has more vitamin E than almonds and positioned our industry’s product as a secret to beauty.
In India, consumers often gift almonds to family and friends during Diwali.
In India, a leading export market, almonds are deeply rooted in the nation’s culture. Tradition drives consumption, where almonds are often given as gifts during important occasions. For instance, during the festival of Diwali, a spiritual celebration among family and friends, consumers gift almonds as a symbol of close relationships. Almonds also have ties to traditional Indian medicine, which says that the nut helps support mental agility, heart health and more.
Consumers love almonds in all forms, and across the globe this product is providing to be a daily part of their lives. That’s why almonds are found in recipes, skin care regimens and cultural traditions — and why they’re consistently the No. 1 nut for new product introductions.
For each use of almonds by each almond consumer, there’s cause to celebrate National Almond Day and consumption around the world.
[1] ABC Position Report, October 2018.
[2] Europe: Inspiring Global Trends and Cracking Almond Innovation. December 2018.
