Straus Family Creamery, California’s organic dairy and creamery, and artisan cheesemaker Cowgirl Creamery won high praise and several awards for their products at the American Cheese Society competition, one of the world’s largest and most influential contests  for American-made specialty cheeses. Straus Organic Plain Whole Milk Yogurt was awarded first place in the Yogurts Made From Cow’s Milk category, and the company’s European-Style Unsalted Sweet Butter with 85 percent butterfat won third place in the Unsalted Butter category. Cowgirl Creamery, best of show winner at the 2003 competition for its washed-rind Red Hawk cheese, won awards in several categories including first place for its Mt. Tam and second place for its Pierce Point, Crème Fraiche and Fromage Blanc. Cowgirl’s handcrafted cheeses are made exclusively with Straus milk.

Earlier this year, 20 Colorado teens who participated in the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) 2003 Fourth Annual Robert B. Sturm Youth Leadership Mission unveiled their message of respect that was printed on millions of Robinson Dairy milk cartons sold in Colorado grocery stores and distributed statewide to schools, medical facilities, airlines and businesses. The “Respect: Does Everybody Good” anti-hate ad was printed on more than 15 million half-pint and half-gallon cartons. “The students hope this ad campaign will encourage people to engage in conversations about prejudice and hate, and help others examine their individual responsibility to promote respect and diversity in our society,” said Nina Sundell, ADL assistant director of education who worked on the project with the students.

Plymouth, Wis.-based Sargento Foods Inc. showcased its all-American pride and passion for cheese by saluting nearly 8,000 crew, family and friends of the USS Ronald Reagan with cheese-themed activities during the ship’s July 23 homeporting at the North Island Naval Station in Coronado, Calif. The ship’s crew and their families and friends received a patriotic pier-side welcome with several Sargento “All-American” cheese activities, including a complimentary SargentoBurger lunch, a finished 550-pound cheddar cheese-carved replica of the ship displaying Monterey jack cheese accents, a Sargento cheese-wedge beanbag toss for children with SargentoBurger-shaped beanbags and a complimentary photo-ready display of the custom-designed Sargento 50th Anniversary Cheese Chopper. As the U.S. Navy’s newest addition to the aircraft carrier fleet (and at the time of its christening, the first aircraft carrier named for a living former president), the USS Ronald Reagan was commissioned July 12, 2003, at the Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia.

DCI Cheese Co. Inc. leaders Timothy Omer, president, and Stacy Kinsley, executive vice president, accepted an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for the state of Wisconsin at a recent banquet in Milwaukee. The award was given to Mayville-based DCI for its excellence in the Wholesale/Retail Distribution category. The company was selected from nominations in Wisconsin by a panel of judges composed of local community and business leaders. DCI was founded with the purpose of consulting small artisan cheese manufacturers on how to access specialty cheese markets throughout the United States.

To remind Americans that freshly baked cookies need milk, Pillsbury and the “got milk?” folks collaborated to put one of the world’s most beloved characters, the Pillsbury Doughboy, in a new “got milk?” commercial launched late August. “Without ever mentioning another beverage, this spot is intensely competitive,” says Jeff Manning, director of the California Milk Processor Board (CMPB).

Called “Russian Family,” the commercial opens in St. Petersburg on a dreary winter’s night with a Russian family soberly sipping their watery soup. Life looks bleak. From nowhere the unmistakable voice of the Pillsbury Doughboy is heard. Dad looks up, grandma drops her pot and music begins to play as the Doughboy pushes in a huge plate of freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies. Life is good. However, the celebration comes to an end when a horrified mother emerges from the kitchen screaming, “Moloko!” (milk in Russian) and shakes an empty milk carton. The music ends, faces drop, mouths clog with warm cookies and once again, milk deprivation rains terror on the world. The commercial closes on the shocked face of the Pillsbury Doughboy and, of course, “got milk?” appears.

Some kids get a chance to go to college because they’re great athletes. Others receive scholarships because of good grades. But for 14-year-old Charlotte Kramer of Kingsport, Tenn., her ability to create a frozen yogurt sundae will help pay for her college tuition. TCBY’s Sundae College Contest asked kids across the country to create a frozen yogurt sundae using TCBY frozen yogurts and toppings, and give their creation a name. Chosen from more than 5,000 entrants, the winning treat, Charlotte’s Frozen Hot Chocolate, is made with chocolate frozen yogurt, chocolate sauce and whipped cream, topped with marshmallows. From August 15 to September 15, the winning sundae was available in participating TCBY stores across the country. For her winning entry, the company will present Kramer with a $5,000 scholarship. In addition, a percentage of the sales of her creation will go toward her college education.

Riverside, Calif.-based Swiss Dairy has introduced bilingual labels on its top-selling branded milks. The effort will eventually impact all Swiss Dairy milk sold at some 9,000 distribution points across Southern California, the company says. The new labels can be found on Swiss Dairy whole and reduced-fat milk, with lowfat and fat-free varieties to follow. The company’s bilingual labels sport Swiss Dairy’s familiar red-and-white trademark branding and signature milkman — only now, Señor Swiss Dairy reads in Spanish.

Recognizing that parents are taking a closer look at how food choices impact their family’s overall health and well being, and to make packing lunches easier this school season, Horizon Organic, Longmont, Colo., is introducing several new organic lunchbox options to boost its line of kid-friendly choices —  organic smoothies, single-serve organic juices and organic banana single-serve milk. “Organic foods are produced without the use of antibiotics, added growth hormones or dangerous pesticides,” says nutrition consultant Julie Burns, M.S., R.D. “Families can help reduce their kids’ exposure to added chemicals in food by incorporating organic products into their diets. An easy way to do that is by providing great-tasting organic foods in your child’s lunchbox.”