Readers of Dairy Foods selected the 2013 Plant of the Year. The magazine nominated 13 dairy processing plants that manufacture fluid milk, cheese, ice cream or cultured dairy products. All had been featured in Dairy Foods magazine and on dairyfoods.com over the previous 18 months. Voting was online at dairyfoods.com during the month of June.

The nominees were:

  • Bel Brands, Little Chute, Wis.
  • Broadacre Dairy, Powell Station, Tenn.
  • Emmi Roth USA, Penn Yan, N.Y.
  • G.S. Gelato, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.
  • Gifford's Ice Cream, Skowhegan, Maine
  • HP Hood, Sacramento, Calif.
  • Klondike Cheese Co., Monroe, Wis.
  • Oakhurst Dairy, Portland, Maine
  • Rhino Foods, Burlington, Vt.
  • Safeway, Bellevue, Wash.
  • Swiss Valley Farms, Luana, Iowa
  • The Dannon Co., Minster, Ohio
  • Tillamook County Creamery Association, Tillamook, Ore.

The winning dairy processor will receive a trophy and recognition in the August issue of Dairy Foods. The article will include previously unpublished photos and new information. Representatives from the winning plant will make a presentation about best practices in the dairy processing industry at the International Dairy  Show in Chicago in November. The formal presentation of the award will be made at that time.

So who won the Dairy Foods 2013 Plant of the Year? Review all 13 nominations and find the winner here.