Eight thousand, two hundred and five. That’s the number of votes Dairy Foods received from readers for our new 2025 Product of the Year award. I am extremely proud of that number, and equally joyous we had 15 tremendous nominees vying for the inaugural honor.

When creating this award, my primary objective was to have something that you — the readers — could vote on, in addition to already established awards whose winners are determined by the editorial staff. I am happy to say it worked, and this contest will definitely return in 2026. 

Alas, somebody has to win, for which Cincinnati-based Graeter’s Ice Cream’s Skyline Spice Ice Cream took the crown. 

Graeter’s will be receiving a physical award they hopefully can keep in its physical offices. The company earned 42% of the total vote, as our readers applauded the product and are clearly clamoring for its return. Check out our cover feature for more on that topic.

“The prime goal was not to make a billion dollars. It was about having fun and bringing exposure to both of our brands. We certainly met that goal, as by last count, we had some 13 billion impressions on social media,” Graeter’s CEO Richard Graeter reveals. “What we got was great engagement with both of our loyal customer bases. Guests in Cincinnati are often taken to Skyline first and Graeter’s for dessert.”

During an interview with Dairy Foods, the CEO also acknowledges that the success of the Skyline Chili Ice Cream spans way beyond Cincinnati as well. “We knew it would be successful in Cincinnati because people love both brands. What was really surprising to me was how successful it was for people outside of Cincinnati. We ship ice cream direct to consumers on Graeters.com. Often when we have a special flavor, we ship one pallet of ice cream to people throughout the country. For this flavor, we shipped six pallets,” he says.

Congratulations to Graeter’s for claiming the top spot.  I also want to send a shout-out to the other nominees for the 2025 Dairy Foods Product of the Year award, including Dairy Farmers of America’s TruMoo Zero Whole Chocolate Milk, which placed second in the voting, and placing third through five, respectively, Sargento Natural America Cheese. Hiland Dairy ProPack Snack and Smearcase Frozen Cottage Cheese Ice Cream.

There were many excellent product launches in the past year, a true testament to the strength of the dairy processing industry. Make sure to check out next month’s State of the Industry issue, when we reveal the overall strength of the dairy industry.

Dairy processors, start getting your applications ready for next year’s award. I am looking forward to continuing this tradition.