IV 111th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1668 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 28, 2010 Mr. Cardoza submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture RESOLUTION Recognizing the 100th anniversary of the formation of the California Almond Growers Exchange, a cooperative to market almonds produced by members of the cooperative.

Whereas, on May 6, 1910, 230 California almond growers formed the California Almond Growers Exchange, a cooperative to market their almond production; Whereas 60 percent of California’s almond growers eventually joined the cooperative and developed America’s first brand for almonds, Blue Diamond, named after the world’s highest quality gem; Whereas by 1917, representatives of Blue Diamond made their first trip to Italy and Spain to share cultural and marketing information, and this was the first promotion and marketing of California almonds in foreign markets; Whereas Blue Diamond established a partnership with the Federal Government to obtain better rail rates and transmitted the first speech in America aboard a train headed cross country about the importance of equitable almond prices; Whereas in 1937, Blue Diamond developed the first cellophane bag to package almonds and funded the first nutrition research to establish almonds as an essential food in the Federal school lunch program; Whereas in 1949, Blue Diamond introduced the first snack almond in America, Smokehouse Cocktail Almonds, which became the first treenut to be served to passengers on airlines; Whereas in 1950, Blue Diamond established the Almond Board of California, a Federal marketing order to collect market information, fund research and promote California almonds; Whereas Blue Diamond opened the Japanese market in the 1950s and established its first foreign office in Japan soon afterwards; Whereas Blue Diamond exported California almonds to Russia, when it was still the Soviet Union, and at one time, Russia was the largest export market for United States almonds; Whereas, in the 1970s, Blue Diamond opened the Indian market for California almonds, and India now imports over $100 million of California almonds, which make California almonds the largest United States export to India; Whereas Blue Diamond is now expanding the market in China for California almonds; Whereas, from a small industry of three million pounds of almonds in 1910, California is now producing over 1.65 billion pounds of almonds annually, which is 80 percent of the global supply; Whereas Blue Diamond’s business has grown to nearly $1 billion, and more than half of California’s almond growers are members of the cooperative; and Whereas almonds are California’s largest food export, and almonds also rank as the largest tree crop in the world: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives recognizes the California Almond Growers Exchange for its 100 years of leadership in developing and promoting the California almond industry both domestically and worldwide.