Blue Diamond CEO Interview: Almond Milk Sales Will Surpass Sales Of Skim Milk Soon

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Business is booming for Blue Diamond Growers, based in Sacramento.

CBS13's Sam Shane recently sat down with Mark Jansen, the president and CEO of the company to discuss their record $1.5 billion in revenue last year.

He predicts that one day soon, almond milk sales will surpass sales of skim milk.

SHANE: So what are your projections next quarter, next year? How do you feel like you're going to do?

JANSEN: We will continue to see Blue Diamond grow because our value-added businesses are growing.

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JANSEN: It is extraordinary to see how rapid that consumption is growing and taking place.

SHANE: So it's lower in fat content than even skim milk?

JANSEN: Absolutely lower in fat, in calories—half the calories of skim milk.

SHANE: Are you projecting this domestically or worldwide?

JANSEN: Domestically.

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SHANE: If we don't have a wet winter, how concerned are you?

JANSEN: I'm concerned, and frankly I'm concerned even right now that there's UC Davis research on water deprivation that indicates even if we get a normal winter this year, normal rains to accompany it, that the stress to the almond orchards will last three years.

SHANE: What should they do? Should they build a reservoir? How do they do it?

JANSEN: I think the most important thing is surface storage … I think that is the area that I think most almond growers agree on, probably most Californians can agree on is that storage is critical to having better security.

SHANE: Did we take our eye off the ball.

JANSEN: I think it's easy to become complacent when you've got favorable weather conditions.

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SHANE: So the last question I have: Is ALL-monds or AA-monds?

JANSEN: If you're multigenerational almond grower, it's most always AH-monds., and so maybe if I'm here long enough I'll earn the right to call them almonds.

SHANE: So both are correct?

JANSEN: Absolutely, both are correct.