Blue Diamond Growers to phase out Sacramento plant, impacting 600 jobs

Blue Diamond Growers, the world’s largest almond cooperative, has revealed plans to close its historic Midtown Sacramento processing plant, a facility spanning over 50 acres, and shift its manufacturing operations to existing sites in Turlock and Salida. The transition will unfold gradually over the next 18 to 24 months.

Management expects that these layoffs will affect around 600 positions. Approximately 10% of these roles (about 60 jobs) are slated to end by the close of 2025, while the remainder will phase out as operations fully transfer.

CEO Kai Bockmann explained that modernization demands and the cost of running an aging, historically designated building made the plant “too costly and inefficient.” The company will support impacted workers with relocation options, severance packages, and outplacement services. 

One employee shared:

“I do not have any other job. This was my first job… if you agree with any other locations, you can work.”

Sacramento Mayor and City Council officials commented on the closure, saying:

“The Blue Diamond factory is primed for new life and new opportunity for our city.”

The corporate headquarters will remain in Sacramento. Meanwhile, the plant site, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984, is expected to be sold to developers.

This change underlines several pressures within California’s almond-processing sector: aging infrastructure, appetite for operational efficiency, and the complexities of repurposing historic industrial real estate.