California Ag Network

Tag: CDI

  • California Dairies, INC. To Acquire DairyAmerica

    California Dairies, Inc. (CDI), the largest dairy farmer-owned cooperative in California, announced today that it has agreed to acquire DairyAmerica, effective January 1, 2023.

    DairyAmerica, a globally recognized supplier of quality and sustainable dairy ingredients, is a federated cooperative currently co-owned by CDI, Agri-Mark, Inc., and O-AT-KA Milk Products. As part of the acquisition, CDI will purchase the ownership rights currently held by Agri-Mark, Inc. and O-AT-KA Milk Products, making DairyAmerica a wholly owned subsidiary of CDI.

    “This investment in DairyAmerica provides the opportunity for CDI to unlock significant synergies and represents another step towards improving efficiencies in providing world markets with high quality dairy ingredients,” said Brad Anderson, president and chief executive officer of California Dairies, Inc.

    Under the new structure, DairyAmerica will continue to market milk powders produced by Agri-Mark, Inc. and O-AT-KA Milk Products. These marketing agreements will allow for the continued multi-origin and sustainable supply benefits currently enjoyed by DairyAmerica.

    “We continue to support the Dairy America vision,” said William Schreiber, chief executive officer of O-AT-KA Milk Products.

    “We are pleased to be a part of this transition and have seen the benefits of DairyAmerica’s transformation under its new leadership the past two years,” said David Lynn, interim chief executive officer at Agri-Mark, Inc.

    DairyAmerica will remain under the leadership of Patti Smith, chief executive officer, and the DairyAmerica office will remain in Fresno, CA.

    “As we continue to transform our business, this investment by CDI provides the framework to focus on our people and processes while strengthening our global competitiveness,” said Patti Smith, chief executive officer of DairyAmerica.

    About

    California Dairies, Inc., is the largest member-owned milk marketing and processing cooperative in California, producing approximately 40 percent of California’s milk. Co-owned by more than 300 dairy producers who ship nearly 17 billion pounds of Real California Milk annually, California Dairies, Inc. is the home of two leading and well-respected brands of butter – Challenge and Danish Creamery. California Dairies, Inc.’s quality dairy products are available in all 50 United States and more than 50 foreign countries. For additional information on CDI, visit www.CaliforniaDairies.com.

    DairyAmerica, Inc. is a federated marketing cooperative founded in 1995 and serves to market quality dairy products regionally, nationally, and internationally to its ever-expanding and diverse customer base. For additional information on DairyAmerica, Inc., visit www.DairyAmerica.com.

  • California Dairies, Inc. To Open A New Milk Bottling Facility

    Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture Karen Ross and other state and local officials joined California Dairies, Inc. (CDI) on Wednesday, September 29, at a groundbreaking ceremony in Kern County, CA, at the future site of CDI’s new ultra-high temperature (UHT) and extended shelf-life (ESL) milk processing facility.

    “This is an exciting day and marks the launch of a transformational investment being made by our farmer-owners,” said Brad Anderson, CDI’s President and Chief Executive Officer, as he made opening comments. “This new facility will process our Kern County-produced milk into innovative fluid milk products that have been seeing growth in demand throughout the U.S. and international markets.”

    CDI, the largest dairy farmer-owned cooperative in California and the second largest in the United States, is building this state-of-the-art milk processing facility under the name Valley Natural Beverages. The project is being built in northern Kern County, a region with significant milk production but no local processing facilities. Not only will this investment significantly reduce the transportation distances of milk produced in Kern County, it will also further demonstrate CDI’s commitment to sustainable solutions by incorporating renewable energy sources and waste conservation as key priorities in the facility and operational design.

    “As farmers, we aim to be good stewards of the land to leave a lasting legacy for future generations,” said Simon Vander Woude, CDI’s Chairman of the Board of Directors. “CDI’s member-farms are leading the way in implementing sustainable on-farm practices, and the construction of this state-of-the-art facility will carry that mission forward.”

    Simon Vander Woude and Melissa Hurtado

    CDI and its family-owned dairy farms have a long history of prioritizing on-farm sustainability. In 2011, CDI co-founded Dairy Cares, a leading non-profit pursuing research and innovation in the area of sustainable dairy practices in California. More recently, CDI has adopted the U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment, which aims to be carbon neutral or better by the year 2050.

    The 220,000 square foot facility will be built on 30 acres of land in Northern Kern County. The facility is expected to create approximately 100 new jobs when fully operational in 2023.

    About California Dairies, Inc.

    California Dairies, Inc. is the largest member-owned milk marketing and processing cooperative in California, producing 40 percent of California’s milk. Co-owned by more than 300 dairy producers who ship nearly 17 billion pounds of Real California Milk annually, California Dairies, Inc. is a manufacturer of quality butter, fluid milk products, and milk powders. In addition, California Dairies, Inc. is the home of two leading and well-respected brands of butter – Challenge and Danish Creamery. California Dairies’ quality dairy products are available in all 50 United States and in more than 50 foreign countries. For additional information on California Dairies, Inc., visit www.CaliforniaDairies.com.

  • California Dairies, INC. Announces Launch Of Farm-To-Consumer Sustainability Effort

    California Dairies, Inc. (CDI), the largest dairy farmer-owned cooperative in California and second largest in the United States, today announced the formal launch of an initiative aimed at measuring, validating, and further improving sustainable business practices.

    CDI has assembled a team of experts in the field of sustainability across numerous priority areas: from environmental stewardship to employee welfare to animal husbandry and beyond. Our team has substantial knowledge of the dairy industry and expertise in sustainability from farm to consumer. Over the coming months, this team will work to quantify the current baseline status of CDI’s supply chain in key areas of sustainability, as well as lay out a roadmap of goals and targets going forward.

    “Given our exclusive production in California, CDI’s member farms understand the responsibility that comes with producing milk and have been on the leading edge of the sustainability movement,” said Brad Anderson, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Together with the industry experts we have teamed up with, we look forward to formally quantifying those efforts in the coming months in order to better communicate the work being done to our customers, consumers, and government regulators, as we chart an achievable roadmap for the future.”

    Today’s announcement builds on a long history of focus on sustainability by CDI and our family dairy farms. Twenty years ago, before sustainability became a household term, CDI co-founded Dairy Cares, a leading non-profit pursuing research and innovation in the area of sustainable dairy practices in California. According to a 2020 study in the Journal of Dairy Science, California dairies have already reduced the amount of land (89%), water (88%), and greenhouse gases (45%) per gallon of milk produced over a 50-year period.

    More recently in 2020, CDI joined farmer cooperatives and other dairy companies around the U.S., led by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, in co-signing the 2050 Environmental Stewardship Goals, which include a goal to be carbon neutral or better by the year 2050. Today’s announcement and the work being done is key to delivering on this commitment.

    “CDI’s membership has been leading the way in sustainable dairy farming investments, from water conservation to renewable solar energy to anaerobic digesters and more, and we continue to move as fast as technology and on-farm economics allow,” said Simon Vander Woude, Chairman of CDI’s Board of Directors. “This is an opportunity to showcase that hard work, while doubling down to drive innovation and further improve our environmental footprint, ensuring that our farms produce some of the most sustainable milk in the world, across all the various pillars of sustainability.”

    About California Dairies, Inc.
    California Dairies, Inc. is the largest member-owned milk marketing and processing cooperative in California, producing approximately 40 percent of California’s milk. Co-owned by over 300 dairy producers who ship nearly 17 billion pounds of Real California Milk annually, California Dairies, Inc. is a manufacturer of quality butter, fluid milk products, and milk powders. In addition, California Dairies, Inc. is the home of two leading and well-respected brands of butter – Challenge and Danish Creamery. California Dairies, Inc.’s quality dairy products are available in all 50 United States and in more than 50 foreign countries. For additional information on California Dairies, Inc., visit www.CaliforniaDairies.com.