• by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer @mahoney_sarah, February 28, 2025

Blue Diamond is hitting the road with the Nutty Cruiser, with plans to bring its family of almond snacks to fairs and festivals around the country. Like the LL Bean Bootmobile, Kraft Heinz’s Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, and the Planters Nutmobile, the cooperative hopes to turn road-tripping into a new engagement channel. The “Bring Your Flavor” National Tour plans to distribute one million almond samples this year.

“We've always loved interacting with our consumers face to face, and this vehicle gave us that opportunity to give them a fun way to engage with the brand,” Lorena Nuñez, senior brand manager, tells CPG Insider.

The Nutty Cruiser’s maiden voyage started at the Sacramento, California headquarters on National Almond Day. And the vehicle is currently making its way through different growers’ plants, with a few stops at local breweries.

From there, the cruiser is moving on to major markets, including Los Angeles, New York City, Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago, Milwaukee, Indianapolis and Columbus, Ohio, with additional locations to be announced throughout the year.

Once the Cruiser parks, Blue Diamond rolls out a hub of flavor-packed activities, including an almond launcher that sends packs of almonds into the hands of hungry customers, a Flavor Bar, Barrel-o-Flavor sampling stations, and interactive games including "Guess That Flavor" and "Almond-hole" (a twist on cornhole). And the brand is posting plenty of social content along the way.

The ultimate goal is to get consumers to discover the brand’s 20-plus flavors and make them a regular part of their snacking diet.

The vehicle, created by Inspira Marketing, took over 1,150 hours to build. And while the cruiser’s primary function is to generate buzz while on the road, Blue Diamond has lofty plans for the big nut.

The character is already posting marketing thought leadership on LinkedIn, including “17 lessons from someone whose main skill is shooting snacks from a cannon,” “Being shaped like an almond isn’t a limitation – it’s my brand,” and “Every traffic jam is an impromptu marketing event.”

Nuñez won’t rule out the possibility that the character will motor its way into national advertising, especially as the brand moves forward in the cooperative’s Big Ten NCAA sponsorship and continues building the “Unapologetically Almond” platform.

“You’ll see this character come to life in bold, authentic and funny content in the coming months, and sometimes it will be a little tough,” she says.

Could the character be as fully developed as, let’s say, the M&Ms? “It could,” Nuñez says. “Nothing is off the table.”