FROM THE EXECUTIVE
From the Executive...
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The marketing levy generated year on year has allowed the industry to develop a marketing war chest to drive demand in established, emerging and new markets around the world.
Alan Hoppe, ABA Chairperson and Tim Jackson, ABA CEO
A horticultural unicorn- the Almond Voluntary Marketing Levy
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AUSTRALIAN almond growers supported the establishment a voluntary marketing levy in 2004 to underwrite a co-ordinated industry marketing program. The levy has underpinned one of the most successful marketing programs in Australian horticulture over the past 20 years. Processors collect this levy from growers annually and pay it to the Almond Board of Australia to fund the agreed industry marketing strategies. These activities are designed by the ABA’ s marketing team in consultation with the Market Development Committee, which has representatives from all the major marketers. The marketing levy is then invested by the ABA market development team in activities that largely attract dollar for dollar government cofunding that help maximise our resources and strategies. This cofunding is administered through Hort Innovation who also evaluate the effectiveness of the ABA spend to ensure there is oversight on the industry’ s expenditure. Over the past 21 years this program has emerged as an exemplar on developing activities that
In A Nutshell- Winter 2025 Vol 26 Issue 2
have maximised the value of the investment while creating a much broader awareness for almonds and the associated health benefits. When the two cent / kilogram levy was introduced the industry volume was 11,500 tonnes per year and this was predominantly sold into the Australian market. The early initiatives focused on targeting health professionals and educating them on the emerging research that had proven in clinical trials that consuming almonds each day was beneficial to your health. The message gained traction with consumers and the emergence of almonds as a healthy snack that tastes good took off. Consumption grew year on year by 9 % and plantings both here and in California expanded to meet this demand. It is a success story that is almost unrivalled in horticulture. In the season just gone, just 20 years since the levy was introduced and remained unchanged, Australia sold almost 170,000 tonnes. The marketing levy generated year on year has allowed the industry to develop a marketing war chest to drive demand in established, emerging and new markets around the world. Australian almonds have forged a niche in the global market, driving a demand that attracts a premium back to growers remains the key focus. While a significant proportion is being invested in established markets, the recent lessons learnt when various Australian products were banned from importing into the lucrative Chinese market is that an ongoing strategy of diversification remains a prudent risk mitigator. As a result the industry has opted to enhance the profile of consuming nuts in South-East Asia due to its geographic proximity and population. Just as Australia was largely a peanut consuming nation 25 years ago, the health benefits and versatility of almonds has revolutionised the snacking habits of Australians. The opportunity to replicate the same playbook in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand could not be ignored. It safeguards the industry against future complications around shipping to far flung destinations and also any potential geo-political disputes that might shut down trade access to key markets. Masterchef celebrity Poh Ling Yeow and Olympic swimming champion