Reykjavik Creamery said it opened up for business in Newville, Pa. Specializing in contract manufacturing for the U.S. market, the company uses state-of-the-art ultrafiltration technology developed in Iceland and built in the United States. It‘s the first of its kind to be approved by the FDA. The system is designed to make high-solids cultured dairy products such as Icelandic-style skyr and Greek yogurt.

The 30,000-square-foot plant, located on a 400-acre organic dairy farm, is Grade A licensed, kosher and certified organic, and it recently passed its first SQF audit, the company said.

Chobani LLC said it providing all employees a paid half-day off on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, to ensure that its 2,000-plus United States-based employees will have time to get to the polls and vote in the upcoming 2020 election. At the same time, the Norwich, N.Y.-based company will continue to educate its employees on the availability of absentee ballots in their locations.

Additionally, all employees will be able to take a full day of paid volunteer time to serve as a poll worker or support other nonpartisan election activities such as voter education or voter registration, including any training hours, Chobani said. All of Chobani’s 2020 Election Day commitments align with the company’s pledge to Time to Vote, a nonpartisan effort by more than 700 businesses to increase voter participation.

The Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA), Novi, Mich., said Brent and Emily Simon of Westphalia, Mich., were selected as the state-winning 2020 MMPA Outstanding Young Dairy Cooperators (OYDC) by a panel of judges represented by leaders in the Great Lakes dairy industry. As the state-winning cooperators, the Simons will represent MMPA at various industry and association activities. The Simons operate a quality award-winning farm with 930 cows and 2,300 acres. They are members of the MMPA Mid-Michigan Local in District 6.

Idaho Milk Products, a Jerome, Idaho-based processor supplying milk protein concentrate, milk protein isolate, milk permeate powder and cream derivatives, said it hired Florian Middelhuis as vice president of sales and marketing. Middelhuis most recently served as business unit manager for the dairy ingredients group of Meggle in Germany.

Northeast Dairy Suppliers Association Inc. (NDSA), North Syracuse, N.Y., said the NDSA Scholarship Committee awarded $2,500 scholarships to 12 students whose majors are related to the dairy/food industry or an agriculture program related to the dairy/food industry, and $1,500 to students studying any major. This year’s Bruce W. Krupke Memorial Scholarship recipients include Melania Birjukow, Buffalo, N.Y., Niagara County Community College; John Michael Carter, The Colony, Texas, Purdue University; Ella Destephano, Newburyport, Mass., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Ian Fox, Crystal Lake, Ill., University of Tampa; Andres Haendel Gonzalez, Hockessin, Del., University of Delaware; Tiffany Heischman, Strasburg, Va., Eastern Mennonite University; Grayson Myers, Hamburg, N.Y., John Carroll University; Stephanie Pieper, Davis, Ill., University of Alabama; Emily Roloson, Castleton, N.Y., University of Virginia; Efraim Shachter, Cobleskill, N.Y., Cornell University; Heidi Williams, Sinclairville, N.Y., SUNY Alfred; and Heather Young, Dannemora, N.Y., University of Florida.

The National Honey Board, in collaboration with several U.S. food manufacturers, said it launched “Honey Saves Hives,” a program designed to fund bee health research. To celebrate National Honey Month in September, the Kashi, Justin’s and Frönen brands will make donations in excess of $52,000 to bee-health research organizations, including Project Apis m., the largest honeybee nonprofit in the country. Project Apis m. is committed to enhancing the health and vitality of honeybee colonies through research and forage programs, the Longmont, Colo.-based National Honey Board said.

Edlong, an Elk Grove Village, Ill.-based, certified woman-owned flavor company, said it was recognized for the sixth consecutive year as among the “Best and Brightest Companies to Work for in the Nation” by the National Association for Business Resources. The 2020 Summer National winning companies were assessed by an independent research firm that reviewed a number of key measures, with a specific focus on those that demonstrated exceptional, innovative human resource practices and set high standards for all businesses.

Swift Sensors, an Austin, Texas, producer and supplier of wireless sensor systems, announced the appointment of Ray Almgren as CEO. Almgren will lead the growth initiatives of the company to expand product offerings and to scale worldwide distribution channels. He joined the company in 2016 as the chief marketing officer, and was named chief operating officer in 2019.

The Martin Bauer Group acquired Core Botanica, a Terrebonne, Ore.-headquartered manufacturer of customized mint leaf products. The acquisition expands the group’s portfolio of raw materials and botanical ingredients, servicing the food and dietary supplement industries, along with the tea and beverage markets, said Secaucus, N.J.-based Martin Bauer USA.

Americold, an Atlanta-based owner and operator of temperature-controlled warehouses, said it partnered with nonprofit Feed the Children to donate food to families this year. The company is filling a critical need during the pandemic by providing complimentary temperature-controlled transportation services to deliver cold food to those who need it most.

In May, Americold trucked more than 84,000 pounds of donated milk and dairy products from Texas to Leola, Pa., to one of Feed the Children's community partners. The company said it has continued its outreach efforts over the past few months, and plans to do additional deliveries during the remainder of 2020.

RK Environmental Services, a Westwood, N.J.-based pest management and food safety firm, announced the promotion of Talath Witharane to president. As a key player leading growth since 2017, Witharane replaces Hank Hirsch, who will be taking the position of CEO. Witharane will be responsible for establishing the company’s goals and strategies, providing strategic leadership to all employees, and implementing the company’s vision and goals.

Fristam Pumps USA, Middleton, Wis., said Tim Nelson joined the company as Midwest regional sales manager. In his new position, Nelson will be responsible for managing sales and related activities in the upper Midwest. He has more than 20 years of pump sales and business development experience in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical and dairy processing industries.

Swiss company Givaudan said it renamed its Flavour and Fragrance divisions to Taste & Wellbeing and Fragrance & Beauty, respectively. The new names reflect Givaudan’s purpose of “creating healthier and happier lives, with love for nature, and are aligned with the divisions’ 2025 strategic ambitions to shape the future of food, fragrances and beauty by becoming the innovation and co-creation partner of choice to its customers.”

Motion Industries Inc., a Birmingham, Ala.-based distributor of maintenance, repair and operation replacement parts and a wholly owned subsidiary of Genuine Parts Co., said it completed the acquisition of Applied Machine and Motion Control Inc. (AMMC), a Parks Hill, Ky.-based supplier of motion control and automation products and services. AMMC’s engineering and application expertise propels its specialty services, including motion control, drives, HMI, PC and embedded control, automation control, mechanical, robotics, motors and mechatronics.