Industry
The California almond industry is a model of strategic cooperation between growers, processors and market partners. In 2006, almonds were California’s number one agricultural export with sales of $1.89 billion, which was over twice the sales volume of California wines!
During the 2006-2007 crop year, California almond growers produced 1.117 billion pounds of almonds on about 615,000 bearing acres. In the 2007-2008 crop year, the total grew to 1.383 billion pounds produced on 660,000 bearing acres. And in the 2008-2009 season the crop is forecast to be 1.5 billion pounds. It is not surprising then, that California almonds are the number one specialty crop in the USA, producing 80% of the world’s almond supply.
Because of such dramatic growth in yields, almond exporters have broken records every month for over a year in shipments to export destinations, with growing consumption in emerging markets in Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Hilltop Ranch has been a key player in industry growth, and members of the Hilltop Ranch team have participated in industry leadership at all levels, including Christine Long, who currently serves as chairperson of the Almond Board of California.
Hilltop Ranch also supports the efforts of the Almond Hullers and Processors Association to further the adoption of Good Agricultural Practices by growers and processors, and the sharing of production data that will benefit the industry.
USDA standards are the foundation upon which product quality is built. Good Manufacturing Practices are also an important component of industry and company success. Hilltop Ranch is proud to be a leader in promoting and implementing GMP’s throughout its organization.
