The Almond Board of California (ABC) welcomes Charice Grace to the organization as new manager of trade marketing and stewardship. In her position, Grace will lead the execution of all trade public relations and advertising activities for North America.

Grace will leverage more than 20 years of experience in consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand marketing and business development, having also worked with leading retailers across all channels. She joins ABC as an expert in new product development and category growth, and will leverage her ability to articulate unique ingredient advantages in promoting California Almonds.

“We are excited to have Charice Grace join the Almond Board of California,” said Harbinder Maan, associate director, trade marketing and stewardship, ABC. “Her demonstrated food industry experience makes her a strong asset in this role, where she will lead content development and outreach with our agency teams.”

Grace began her career at Bimbo Bakeries USA in 2001 and was a seasoned marketing brand manager who oversaw a diverse product portfolio and led research and strategy. She has also held roles at ARYZTA North America and BFree Foods. Prior to ABC, Grace was executive director, marketing & sales, at Simit + Smith, where she spearheaded the brand’s marketing, product development and business growth.

Grace holds an MBA in International Business from the University of Miami and is a proud HBCU graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Morgan State University. In her role, Grace will work with Maan to integrate the North American and global trade marketing and stewardship programs.

ABC is committed to engaging with trade audiences to continue driving demand for almonds in retail products and foodservice. Its trade marketing program educates food professionals across the globe on almond attributes around nutrition, versatility, consumer demand, food quality and safety, as well as sustainability. According to Innova Market Insights’ 2019 Global New Product Introductions Report, almonds have been the number one nut for new product introductions since 2006.