Wisconsin Dairy Products Association announces that Greg Kinate has been selected to receive the 2023 WDPA Presidents Award.

The cheese business has been part of Kinate’s entire life. From his grandfather running a cheese plant to his dad being with Kraft for many years. Once Greg finished college, he made his career in dairy. In 1979, Greg joined WI Dairies (Foremost Farms) in Decorah, Iowa, as a supervisor.

During the 1980’s, Greg worked in production at Arpin Dairy, and as a cheese grading, production specialist and procurement manager at Kraft-Green Bay. He also has been involved in cheese judging since the mid-'80s. In 1990, he joined Sargento Foods as the cheese procurement manager. In 1994, Greg began Kineva Foods which worked with supplying small and medium size distributors with cheese and powder needs. The company was also involved with shredding and stick packaging operations of cheese. In 2016, Greg joined Winona Foods as cheese procurement manager and holds that position today.

Kinate joined the Wisconsin Dairy Products Association’s (WDPA) Board of Directors in 1994. He served on the board for many years, rising to the position of Board President in 2007. He was also an original member of the WDPA World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest steering committee which was formed in 2003. He has participated on numerous WDPA committees and special events over the years.

The Presidents Award will be presented to Kinate at a special awards dinner on Monday, July 10 at the Dairy Symposium. The Dairy Symposium will be held July 10-11, 2023, at The Landmark Resort in Door County, Wis.

This year’s winner was selected by the WDPA Board of Directors after they received a slate of nominees from the WDPA Presidents Advisory Committee. The nominees were chosen based on their contributions to the Wisconsin dairy industry and to the Wisconsin Dairy Products Association