Research shows that consumers want to learn how almonds are grown — their lifecycle, their journey from orchard to pantry and everything in between. Now, the industry has a new online resource that allows interested visitors to gain a firm understanding of our community’s work inside and outside the orchard.
The Almond Board of California (ABC) recently added a new section, Growing Good, to its Almonds.com website. By design, this webpage serves to share the California almond community’s key commitments, which are organized in a way that will resonate with consumers and relate to their values. ABC regularly conducts research to understand consumer priorities and expectations, what they look for in a food product, and what questions they ask regarding almond production.
Danielle Veenstra, ABC’s manager of Sustainability Communications, said the things consumers care most about match up with important focus areas for farmers, processors and other industry stakeholders. What’s more, metrics on grower adoption of related practices help substantiate the industry’s stories — data gleaned from the California Almond Sustainability Program (CASP).
“We discovered that consumers value honey bees, which has been an important focal point of farmers, as well,” Veenstra said. “Knowing this, we designated a section of the Growing Good site to highlight the almond industry’s commitment honey bee health.
“Consumers also feel strongly about recycling, and that gave us a chance to talk about how we are upcycling hulls, shells, and even trees at the end of their productive lives,” said Veenstra.
Veenstra said Growing Good was created to streamline access to resources related to the industry’s work in these areas, allowing consumers to find answers to their questions easily, in one place, and also highlighting the natural beauty of almond farming.
Throughout the site, users have access to news articles, blogs, social media channels and factsheets that highlight the industry’s efforts in the areas of research innovation and showcase the latest industry news. Data from CASP also plays a large part in telling the cohesive story of what the industry is doing to farm responsibly and be careful stewards of the land.
While the main audience of the new Growing Good site is consumers, industry members will benefit from this one-stop shop for information too, according to Veenstra. As a third-generation member of an almond growing family in San Joaquin County, she said industry members have a valuable role to play in sharing their own experiences with the public.
“In general people are less connected to their food than ever before, so stories from individual growers or other almond industry members really resonate,” Veenstra said. “Showcasing our farms and how they operate provides a human element that people connect with — and value.”
For those looking to share their story in a more public way, ABC’s Almond Ambassador program provides a platform and training for industry members to speak with the media or on social media. Anyone interested in becoming an Ambassador can contact Ashley Knoblauch at aknoblauch@almondboard.com.
Outside of that, anyone looking for answers on how to best tell the almond story to the public, or consumers seeking information on how almonds are grown, should visit AlmondSustainability.org.
