Wonderful® Pistachios today announced the launch of a Big Game campaign to make game day snacking even easier, whether attending in person, or watching from home. For those traveling to the big game, or related viewing parties, a partnership with luxe rideshare service Alto will provide discounted transportation and delicious snacking around Los Angeles over the game day weekend. Football fans gearing up for game day at home can enter-to-win an entertainment system through a social media contest, get game day recipe inspiration on Pinterest, and stock up on healthy game day snacks at grocery retailers nationwide with larger-than-life football-themed displays.
“Football viewing has always been one of the top consumption occasions for Wonderful Pistachios, so we’re giving consumers near and far something to enjoy while watching the Big Game as it happens in our own backyard,” shared Diana Salsa, senior marketing director, Wonderful Pistachios. “In fact, one out of three Wonderful Pistachios consumers say they eat them while watching sports, with football being the most popular of the sports. You can crack open pistachios to take out some of that game day stress!”
The week leading up to the Big Game is one of the biggest retail sales weeks of the year for the Wonderful Pistachios brand1. Wonderful Pistachios is an ideal game day snack – they are a healthy crowd pleaser offering six grams of plant protein and three grams of fiber per each one ounce serving. With a variety of flavors, and both classic In-Shell and No Shells options, there is something for everyone. Wonderful Pistachios No Shells are now available in four award-winning flavors, including Sea Salt & Vinegar and BBQ, along with the Roasted & Salted and Lightly Salted varieties that consumers know and love.
Wonderful Pistachios Provides Discounted Rides Around Los Angeles
In a city known for frustrating commutes, Wonderful Pistachios will alleviate transportation woes the weekend of the Big Game with significant discounts towards rides around Los Angeles. Starting Thursday, February 10th at 9 a.m. PST through the end of day on Monday, February 14th, the brand has partnered with on-demand rideshare company Alto for the 56th Big Game to provide visitors and locals alike 56% off all Los Angeles rides by Alto’s fleet of elevated SUVs. Users who wish to redeem this discount can enter promo code WONDERFUL within the app.
In addition, passengers will enjoy in-car snacking of Wonderful Pistachios No Shells varieties and a product coupon to continue snacking long after they reach their destination.
Wonderful Pistachios: Tag Them, Pin Them, Put Them In Your Grocery Cart
Wonderful Pistachios launched a giveaway on Instagram where one entrant will win the ultimate home entertainment prize package. Until January 27, 2022 at 11:59 p.m., any Instagram user who follows @wonderfulpistachios, posts and tags @wonderfulpistachios in an in-feed photo featuring their favorite way to enjoy Wonderful Pistachios will be automatically entered to win prizes including a big screen TV, sound system, designer cooler, one year’s supply of Wonderful Pistachios and a $200 gift card for game day eats and drinks. The winner will be selected at random.
Wonderful Pistachios is also launching a campaign on Pinterest featuring mouth-watering game day recipes that add a pop of green color and a savory burst of flavor to any snack or meal spread.
For more information about Wonderful Pistachios, please visit GetCrackin.com, Facebook at /WonderfulPistachios, and Instagram at @WonderfulPistachios.
About Wonderful Pistachios
Wonderful Pistachios is the world’s largest vertically integrated pistachio processor and marketer. Located in California’s Central Valley, our nuts are Non-GMO Project Verified, providing a smart, healthy choice for consumers around the world. Our nuts can be found in stores nationwide and online under the flagship brand, Wonderful® Pistachios. For more, visit: wonderfulpistachios.com, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Wonderful Pistachios is part of The Wonderful Company, a privately held $5 billion company that also has iconic brands such as Wonderful® Halos®, FIJI® Water, POM Wonderful®, JUSTIN® Wine, and Teleflora®. To learn more about The Wonderful Company, visit www.wonderful.com, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To view the current Corporate Social Responsibility report, visit www.wonderful.com/csr.
About Alto
Founded in 2018, Alto is the first employee-based, on-demand rideshare company rethinking a traditionally inconsistent, gig-based industry. By hiring vetted, professional drivers and managing a dedicated fleet of 5-star crash rated vehicles, Alto offers the safest, most consistent, and most personalized passenger experience on the market today. Alto hires W2-employee drivers, provides in-depth training, manages its owned vehicle fleet and brings advanced logistics and optimization to the ridesharing space. Setting the standard in cleanliness in the rideshare industry, Alto cleans and disinfects vehicles with EPA-registered disinfectants between every ride and shift. With COVID-19, Alto has also doubled-down on its commitment to safety and cleanliness with the installation of industry-leading protective equipment, technology, and cleaning and disinfecting procedures including HEPA cabin air filters and plexiglass barriers. In addition to passenger rides, Alto shops, purchases, and delivers from local brands directly to consumers and offers same-day delivery. Currently available in Dallas, Houston, Miami, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, Alto has plans to bring its elevated rideshare experience nationally in the near future. For more information, visit www.ridealto.com.
The California Walnut Board (CWB) and California Walnut Commission (CWC) is searching for a new CEO/Executive Director as Michelle Connelly, who currently holds the position, has resigned. Connelly’s last day will be February 11, 2022.
“We are grateful for Michelle’s years of service to our industry. During her nearly 18 years with the CWB and CWC, Michelle led a strong team of professionals that proudly serve our walnut industry and achieved numerous milestones and successes,” said Bill Tos, Chair of the CWB Executive Committee and Bill Carriere, Chair, of the CWC Executive Committee.
In a letter to Board and Commission, the chairmen highlighted several accomplishments during Connelly’s tenure, including:
· Modernization of the Marketing Order to deliver more for the Walnut industry while eliminating outdated provisions.
· Creation of sustainability work to demonstrate the industry’s good environmental stewardship practices and to support the industry in answering consumer and regulatory expectations.
· An overall marketing program return on investment of 14:1, eclipsing the 6:1 benchmark ROI for similar commodity programs.
· Expansion of industry communications to further engage with growers/processors, including 2021’s inaugural walnut conference collaboration.
· Increased advocacy efforts to raise walnuts visibility among lawmakers to support walnut growers’ and handlers’ ability to produce, process and trade.
· Creation of a strategic roadmap to market for growth domestically and internationally.
“It has been a privilege, honor and pleasure to serve the growers and handlers of the California walnut industry. I am beyond proud of what this team has accomplished, and I am confident in the industry’s sustained success,” said Connelly.
In sharing the news, the chairmen reiterated the efforts of the California Walnut Board and California Walnut Commission are critically important to the success of the industry.
“The CWB leads the way in helping to increase the understanding of walnuts benefits, expand walnut usage occasions, solve for production and post-harvest challenges, and identify new opportunities for growth and prosperity for California walnut growers and handlers,” said Tos. “The California Walnut Commission plays a vital role in global market expansion and consumption, conducting nutrition research to address public health issues, and advocating for walnut growers and handlers to lawmakers,” added Carriere.
A search committee has been formed that will identify a firm to assist with the search process in the coming weeks.
About the California Walnut Board
The California Walnut Board (CWB) was established in 1948 to represent the walnut growers and handlers of California. The CWB is funded by mandatory assessments of the handlers. The CWB is governed by a Federal Walnut Marketing Order. The CWB promotes usage of walnuts in the United States through publicity and educational programs. The CWB also provides funding for walnut production, food safety and post-harvest research.
About the California Walnut Commission
The California Walnut Commission, established in 1987, is funded by mandatory assessments of the growers. The CWC represents over 4,800 growers and approximately 90 handlers (processors) of California walnuts in export market development activities and conducts health research. The CWC is an agency of the State of California that works in concurrence with the Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).
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California walnut farmers should add one more item on your list of things to do before the end of the year – vote in the referendum to determine if the California Walnut Board should be continued.
Ballots are due December 31 and growers who produced walnuts in California from September 2020 through August 2021 are eligible to vote. Like all voters these days, walnut growers have disparate opinions. The pros and cons of the California Walnut Board (CWB) are no exception. Some believe the promotion and education programs of the Board are responsible for moving product from store shelves and have grown consumer demand for walnuts. Some disagree. I would encourage everyone to read an economic study conducted by Dr. Harry Kaiser of Cornell University that considers these and many other activities of the CWB. In its conclusion, this study found that without the investments made through the Walnut Board, grower returns would have been 18 cents per pound lower, which equates to $360 per ton.
I represent the Walnut Bargaining Association (WBA), a grower cooperative devoted to sharing market intelligence and recommending grower prices so our members are informed on whether or not they are getting a fair price from their handlers. As the Executive Director of the WBA, I see tremendous benefits when growers band together and we believe our program has also contributed to higher returns for California walnut farmers.
I don’t want to argue the merits of consumer advertising and promotion. Instead, I need to point out the many CWB activities in addition to advertising and promotion that may be even more valuable to walnut growers and to organizations like the WBA.
First of all, when it comes to grower profits, few things are more important than yield and cost per acre. Over the years, walnut yields in California have increased significantly. A great deal of this is attributed to improved varieties. Over 60 percent of California’s walnut crop is from the Chandler variety which was developed through the California Walnut Board’s breeding programs. Who will develop these improved varieties if the Walnut Board doesn’t exist?
Yields have also been increased through new growing practices that have improved planting density and efficiency. The work done to accomplish this came as a result of CWB’s extensive research program which has also provides growers with information on how to lower inputs and improve irrigation schemes. The Walnut Board has also been a leader in researching the healthy attributes of eating more walnuts.
Members of our Board at WBA work hard to ensure growers are getting the best returns possible. To do this we must have accurate information and data. The WBA relies heavily on crop estimates, statistics on bearing acreage and tree plantings and monthly reports on movement for inshell and meat pounds. This information is critical for growers to make planting and production decisions and has a big impact on the prices they receive. ALL of this data, and more, is provided by the Walnut Board. I can assure you this information would be difficult or impossible to attain were it not for the California Walnut Board.
Some growers may be surprised to know this same kind of information from the CWB was used to directly help support more than $400 per ton paid to walnut growers for damages they incurred as a result of tariff issues. CWB information is also used to secure government purchases for public feeding programs under Section 32 to help alleviate supply imbalances.
The decision to continue the California Walnut Board will be determined by growers. Often, the voices of those who are unhappy outweigh those who are complacent. Let’s not lose one of the most important tools walnut growers have at their disposal because you didn’t act to keep it. Please vote today. Additional details on the referendum can be found here. — By Jonathan Field, Executive Director, Walnut Bargaining Association
Recently, the California Walnut Board talked with walnut grower Georgia Crain of Crain Ranch about her career evolution in the industry, how she used technology to modernize the logistics department, who her female role models are in the male-dominated industry, and more. Georgia is part of the third Crain generation to work on the ranch since her grandfather planted his first walnut tree in 1962. The Crain family is committed to driving the industry forward both on and off the ranch. Georgia’s father and uncle serve on the California Walnut Board, where they help guide activities to support the industry and increase demand for California walnuts, complementing efforts at the ranch level. Read on to hear more:
Q – You’ve worked in many roles at Crain Ranch. Tell us about your career and your current role.
A – Growing up I always helped with the family’s business, whether it be in the office or out in the orchard. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Business Information Systems from Chico State University and used what I learned to guide me when I started working in the logistics department of Crain Ranch.
I’ve been working full-time in the industry for 12 years now, and in the last five years, I’ve been working in sales. I’m currently merging kernel and in-shell sales together, while also negotiating and meeting with customers domestically and internationally.
Q – What has been your biggest career success, so far?
A – Linking together various Crain Ranch departments in a way that has streamlined information and communication more effectively. This has leveled up the team and created a more cohesive environment.
Q – What other impacts have you made at Crain Ranch?
A – Through my work in the logistics department, I created a structure for inventory tracking that allows us to have more accurate, real-time data. Previously, we would manually track all the walnuts that came in, which wasn’t the most effective system. I created an automated system that tracks walnuts from the time they come in from the grower to when they go out on an outbound load. We also know how many walnuts are being processed.
Q – As a woman, how did you evolve in your role in this male dominated industry? What advice do you have for other women in similar positions?
A – The nut industry is certainly male dominated, with most women working in the broker or customer side of the industry. It takes a different type of female to be successful in a male dominated industry, but it’s not impossible. Over the years, I’ve learned to not let the big personalities get to me. My advice is to be direct, and most importantly, to be brave.
Q – Who are your female role models in the industry?
A – Detrie Smith is someone in the industry who everyone knows and respects. I look up to her because she’s a hard worker and a great person to work with. My grandma, Alice Crain, is also someone I have always deeply admired. She’s done everything from accounting, growing, sales and so much more. The company wouldn’t be where it is today without her. It was great growing up with such a determined mentor in the family and industry.
The 2021 California almond crop size has come considerably short of what was initially forecasted earlier this season. How will this reflect on prices and what other factors in the market are at play? Watch this brief interview with Richard Waycott, President of the Almond Board of California, as he explains.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
Despite drought conditions and other challenges facing California agriculture, pistachio growers delivered another record high crop — even with it being considered an ‘off year’ for production trends. Watch this brief interview with Richard Matoian, President of American Pistachio Growers as he explains.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
We are pleased to introduce Aubrey Bettencourt as the new President/CEO of the Almond Alliance of California. Watch this brief interview with Aubrey to learn more about how she has been prepared for this position and her plans to serve the California almond industry.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.