Crystal Creamery, officially California’s oldest dairy processor, said it is celebrating 120 years of business by always starting with one thing: the freshest dairy sourced from local, family-owned farms.

Originally known as Crystal Cream & Butter Co., the Modesto, Calif.-based company got its start when George and Caroline Knox began churning butter in the back of a small Sacramento grocery store in 1901. Twenty years later, Crystal Creamery was purchased by Danish immigrant Carl Hansen, and that was the beginning of the expansion of family of products to include milk, cottage cheese, sour cream and ice cream, the company said. In 2007, Crystal Creamery remained a family-owned business when Foster Dairy Farms purchased the company.

“We are honored and humbled to be celebrating 120 years of Crystal Creamery’s heritage,” said Crystal Creamery CEO Dennis Roberts. “We are also tremendously grateful for the dedicated people who are so committed to producing and delivering our high-quality dairy products that nourish our communities.”

As a tribute to the anniversary milestone, Crystal Creamery said it is producing a limited-edition ice cream flavor, Birthday Cake, boasting a cake batter ice cream base with cake pieces and rainbow sprinkles throughout. Consumers will also notice a commemorative 120th anniversary call-out on Crystal Creamery’s packaging. In addition, the company launched exciting summer promotions, giveaways and a celebratory birthday billboard campaign — and will even be throwing out the first pitch at a River Cats game in August.

Bubbies Homemade Ice Cream & Desserts Inc., maker of superpremium mochi ice cream, announced a collaboration with Whole Kids Foundation as a supporter of the Growing Healthy Kids campaign through customer product purchases. Bubbies will donate 5%, or up to $10,000, of all sales at Whole Foods Market between Aug. 18 and Sept. 7,. The funds raised will directly support school garden grants, salad bar equipment to boost nutrition, and training teachers and staff to improve personal health and wellness. Shoppers can find Bubbies’ retail boxes in the frozen novelty section at Whole Foods Market, and its individually wrapped pieces in the bakery department.

“We are thrilled to partner with an organization that has always been dedicated to helping kids eat healthier — and enjoy it at the same time,” said Katie Cline, vice president of marketing for Phoenix-based Bubbies Homemade Ice Cream & Desserts. “At Bubbies, we are passionate about crafting mindfully indulgent frozen desserts using only the highest quality and real ingredients, so this partnership was a natural fit for us.

“Most kids gravitate towards sweet treats like ice cream, and we’re excited to help children find the balance and learn to love fresh fruits, vegetables and whole foods through our support,” she added. “Whole Foods Market has been one of our main retailer partners and we’re happy to support them just like they have supported us throughout our journey.”

Milk Specialties Global (MSG), an Eden Prairie, Minn.-based manufacturer of nutritional ingredients for the health and wellness, performance nutrition and functional food industries, said it acquired the 96,000-square-foot, gluten-free certified Kay’s Processing facility located in Clara City, Minn., along with the Kay’s Naturals consumer brand.

MSG said it plans to expand operations at the Clara City facility to accommodate demand for extruded protein products, which are used for a wide variety of applications ranging from snacks to meat alternatives. To ensure business continuity, the facility’s current employees have received offers to remain with the facility, and additional jobs will be created in the future to support production expansions.

Face Rock Creamery, a specialty cheese producer headquartered in Bandon, Ore., said it is a finalist in the Oregon Angel Food competition. Its founder, Greg Drobot, will be pitching the Face Rock story to investors and answering their questions at the OregonAF Grand Finale & Marketplace on Sept. 17, 2021. The four finalists are vying for a $200,000 “angel investment.”

Berner Food & Beverage LLC, a Dakota, Ill.-based private label and contract manufacturing supplier of dairy- and nondairy-based food and beverage products, said it named Kelly Diamond vice president of operations.

In her new role, Diamond is responsible for overseeing day-to-day company operations while she works to define and implement an operations strategy to further evolve Berner’s processes. Before joining Berner in 2017, she spent nearly a decade at Dean Foods. She also brings experience from positions at Woodward Inc. and Anderson Packaging Inc., Berner said.

Raymundo's Food Group, a Bedford Park, Ill.-based ethnic food producer, said its Desi Natural brand, the leading dahi (Indian Style Yogurt) brand in the United States, introduced a new marketing campaign focused on authenticity, togetherness and helping their customers celebrate memories through food.

"At Desi Natural, we recognize how important it is to celebrate our heritage — our approach to creating authentic and flavorful yogurt, drinks and paneer is guided by the hands of those who came before us," said Larry LaPorta, general manager of Raymundo's Food Group, Dairy. "We created Desi Natural dahi to honor our heritage with the foods and recipes that evoke our most beloved memories and rites of passage."

Since food is truly the generational connection to the tastes and aroma of home, and is the universal language of happy memories, Desi Natural said it is inviting Asian Indians to celebrate and share their heritage through their love of food.  

"For our ’Memories Through Food’ campaign, we spoke directly with consumers across the country to learn more about what authentic homemade Indian food means to them," said Tom Lazzari, marketing director of Raymundo's Food Group. "We heard great stories around important childhood memories, keeping lost loved ones alive through food and sharing traditions and culture with family and friends. You will find some of these great stories featured in our latest commercial."

The "Memories Through Food" commercial can be seen at https://youtu.be/mvU4TA_k2mI.

Irvine, Calif.-headquartered Golden State Foods (GSF), parent company to dairy processor KanPak LLC and one of the largest diversified suppliers to the foodservice and retail industries, announced the appointment of Justin Vannoy as GSF corporate vice president and president, Liquid Products North America (LPNA). Based in Conyers, Ga., Vannoy will lead the planning and execution of a strategic business plan to satisfy GSF's financial and operational objectives, including customer growth, product quality, food safety, associate safety and succession planning. His role will also focus on broadening the capabilities, technologies and markets in which GSF supplies dressings, sauces, syrups and toppings.

With more than 15 years of food manufacturing leadership experience, Vannoy progressed through various senior operations roles with TreeHouse Foods and ConAgra Foods before joining GSF. As vice president of operations with TreeHouse Foods’ North America Meal Preparations Division based in Oakbrook, Ill., he most recently led 21 manufacturing sites and 4,000 employees in manufacturing operations, planning and scheduling, and continuous improvement, GSF said.

Graham Packaging said it named Richa Desai its new director of sustainability. In this role, Desai will support and drive company-wide sustainability initiatives, including the development of goals, policies and programs that promote efficient, cost-effective products, technologies and operations.

Before coming to Graham, Desai served as the director of sustainability at global food packaging company Sabert, where she refined and championed the vision for Sabert’s sustainability platform and integrated sustainability into the packaging company’s business strategy. Prior to that, she served in a variety of roles, including sustainability manager at Uponor, Lancaster, Pa.-based Graham Packing noted.

With a global background that includes work in European, Asian and U.S. markets, Desai has experience working on sustainability initiatives for a variety of professional brands in the manufacturing industry. While at Sabert, Desai built the company’s sustainability program from the ground up, including setting its 2025 goals with an aim to design future packaging for circularity. She also is an expert at driving zero-waste initiatives across plastic manufacturing facilities while encouraging employee engagement, the company said.

Anritsu, a manufacturer of product inspection and detection systems for the food and pharmaceutical industries, said it moved into a new, state-of-the-art facility in the Elk Grove Technology Park in Elk Grove Village, Ill. The 60,000-square-foot site will provide multiple operational and competitive efficiencies for Anritsu, including more space overall, as well as the ability to expand its product assembly program in the United States.

“Our new building is in a premier location for our employees, and its proximity to O’Hare International Airport makes it convenient for our visiting customers and guests,” said Erik Brainard, president and CEO. “It also doubles our former space, which is necessary to continue the rapid growth fueled by our loyal customers. And its location in a world-class technology park means we are in the center of a remarkable hub for technological innovation and growth.”

AAK said it extended its Kolo Nafaso shea sourcing program to support the growing demand for ethically produced chocolate confectionery. The program already reaches 320,000 women in West Africa, representing 8% of the global shea industry’s workforce.

Ethical claims are the fastest-growing types of claims in the chocolate confectionery and chocolate spreads sectors, according to Mintel’s Global New Products Database, having increased by about 70% between 2016 and 2020, the Malmo, Sweden-based company said.