Diamond Foods was an American packaged food company based in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
, that marketed
nut
Nut often refers to:
* Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds
* Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt
Nut or Nuts may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Co ...
s (particularly
walnut
A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''.
Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true ...
s and almonds) and other
snack foods. Diamond Foods was acquired by
Snyder's-Lance
Snyder's-Lance, Inc. is the second largest salty snack maker in the United States. It was formed by the 2010 merger of Lance Inc. and Snyder's of Hanover. The company is a subsidiary of the Campbell Soup Company.
History
On September 6, 2012, ...
in 2016, and as of 2018,
Campbell Soup Company owns Diamond Foods's former snack brands; Diamond of California, Diamond Foods's nut business, is owned by
Blue Road Capital.
History
The company was founded in 1912 as Diamond Walnut Growers, Inc., a member-owned Californian agricultural cooperative association. In July 2005, Diamond Walnut Growers converted to a
Delaware corporation
The Delaware General Corporation Law (Title 8, Chapter 1 of the Delaware Code) is the statute of the Delaware Code that governs corporate law in the U.S. state of Delaware. Adopted in 1899, the statute has since seen Delaware become the most im ...
and initial public offering of stock as Diamond Foods.
Timeline
* 1912: Diamond was founded as a cooperative by a group of Californian walnut growers.
* 1919: Diamond was the first nut producer to launch a national advertising campaign.
* 1930: Diamond started to sell its nuts abroad.
* 1950: Diamond became the first nut company to advertise on TV.
* 1956: Diamond centralized its operations to
Stockton, California.
* 1989: Diamond was the first company to adopt laser sorters in its processing plant to eliminate shell fragments.
* 1997: Japan became Diamond’s number one export market for shelled walnuts.
* 1998: Diamond introduced a full line of shelled packaged nuts for baking and cooking and became the number one global marketer of in-shell nuts.
* 1999: Diamond changed its name to Diamond of California.
* 2000, 2002, and 2004: Diamond was the exclusive nut supplier to the U.S. Olympic teams.
* 2004: J Stone & Son merged with Diamond Foods.
* 2004: The Emerald Nuts line of snack nuts was launched.
* 2005: Diamond of California became Diamond Foods, Inc., and became a publicly traded company (NASDAQ DMND).
* 2006: Diamond acquired Harmony Foods, including an Indiana production facility.
* 2007: Diamond’s Super Bowl spot featuring
Robert Goulet ranked as the number one ad by ''Advertising Age'' and resulted in a 68 percent sales increase of Emerald.
* 2008: Diamond acquired Pop Secret popcorn from
General Mills
General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the company orig ...
.
* 2009: Emerald hits ten percent share of the snack nut market in U.S. food stores.
* 2010: Diamond acquired Kettle Foods potato chip company with operations in the U.S. and the U.K.
* 2011: Diamond and Procter & Gamble announced that Pringles would merge with Diamond. The deal was expected to close by June 2012.
* 2012: The company is troubled by an accounting scandal and the Pringles deal is cancelled.
*2013: Following the accounting scandal of 2012, on January 18, 2013, Diamond Foods officially ceases all production at its
Fishers, Indiana
Fishers is a city in Fall Creek and Delaware townships, Hamilton County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 76,794, and by 2019 the estimated population was 95,310. A suburb of Indianapolis, Fishers has grown rapidl ...
plant. Over 100 full-time employees are fired and the Harmony brand is permanently discontinued.
*2014: The SEC authorized a settlement in regards to the 2012 accounting scandal. The SEC separately entered into a settlement with the former CEO, Michael Mendes. SEC litigation with the former CFO, Steven Neil, remained unresolved.
*2015: The SEC entered into a settlement with Steven Neil in regards to the 2012 accounting scandal.
*2016:
Snyder's-Lance
Snyder's-Lance, Inc. is the second largest salty snack maker in the United States. It was formed by the 2010 merger of Lance Inc. and Snyder's of Hanover. The company is a subsidiary of the Campbell Soup Company.
History
On September 6, 2012, ...
acquired Diamond Foods and all companies under the Diamond Foods Name.
*2017: Snyder's-Lance sold the Diamond of California culinary nut business to Blue Road Capital.
Diamond Foods brands
Diamond Foods has five product lines:
* Diamond Foods’ line of potato chips are sold under the
Kettle Brand label in the United States and Kettle Chips brand in the United Kingdom. They are available in a variety of flavors, styles and package sizes.
* Diamond Foods’ snack nuts are sold under the Emerald brand, and include
trail mix
Trail mix or scroggin is a type of snack mix, typically a combination of granola, dried fruit, nuts, and sometimes candy, developed as a food to be taken along on hikes. Trail mix is considered a great snack food for hikes, because it is ...
, roasted, glazed and flavored snack nut products and other snacks. The product line includes 100 Calorie pack sizes.
* Diamond Foods’ popcorn, in both kernels and various flavors of microwave popcorn, is sold under the
Pop Secret
Pop Secret is an American brand of popcorn, owned and marketed by Snyder's-Lance – a subsidiary of Campbell Soup Company since 2017. Snyder's-Lance had acquired the Pop Secret brand from Diamond Foods in early 2016.
''Pop Secret'' popcorns w ...
brand. The product line includes Homestyle microwave popcorn and items such as 94% Fat Free and 100 Calorie snack size.
* In-shell and culinary nuts are sold under the Diamond of California brand. In-shell nuts are typically sold in grocery store produce sections during the winter holiday season. Culinary nuts are sold in the baking aisle of grocery, mass, club and other retailers.
* North American and International Ingredient and Food Service products include Diamond of California brand in-shell nuts, shelled and processed nuts, glazed nuts, and custom-processed nuts for food processors, restaurants, bakeries and food service companies and suppliers.
Each of the snack product lines has “better-for-you” options including 100-calorie packs, 94% Fat Free popcorn and both baked potato chips with 65% less fat than traditional potato chips and a reduced fat chip with 40% less fat.
Production
The company has about 1400 full-time employees in Wisconsin, Indiana, Tennessee, Alabama and the United Kingdom. Diamond does not grow any of its own crops; it purchases raw material from domestic and international sources. Diamond products are processed and packaged at facilities in
Stockton, California;
Salem, Oregon;
Van Buren, Indiana;
Beloit, Wisconsin
Beloit is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 36,657 people.
History
Twelve men in Colebrook, New Hampshire, created the "New England Emigrating Company" in October 1836 and sen ...
;
Robertsdale, Alabama
Robertsdale is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States, which includes the community of Rosinton. At the 2020 census, the population was 6,708. It is part of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metropolitan area.
Geography
Robertsdale is loca ...
; and
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
.
References
External links
“Diamond Chews on Acquisitions” San Francisco Business Times, September 3, 2010
{{authority control
Companies formerly listed on the Nasdaq
Former cooperatives of the United States
Snack food manufacturers of the United States
Companies based in San Joaquin County, California
1912 establishments in California
American companies established in 1912
Food and drink companies established in 1912
2005 initial public offerings
2016 mergers and acquisitions