The Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research (CDR) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison received one of seven $1 million i6 Challenge grants from the U.S. Department of Commerce to support an effort to commercialize research ideas that will positively impact economic development.
Dairy Foods visits one cheesemaker’s green farmstead, explores another in the niche goat cheese market, and talks with a multinational, multiple-brand company seeing significant growth in the United States.
Chicago-based Bel Brands USA, makers of The Laughing Cow, Mini Babybel and Boursin cheese (among others) has become a rising star in the snacking and portable cheese category, having doubled its revenues in the last four years. Its Laughing Cow masterbrand (The Laughing Cow and Mini Babybel) is now America’s number one branded snacking cheese.
Two organizations managed by Dairy Management Inc., Rosemont, Ill., seek entries to their contests. The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, seeks entries to its U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards program. The Dairy Research Institute has issued a call for entries to its New Product Competition.
Kulfi is a frozen dessert originating from India that’s similar to ice cream in appearance and taste, but is typically denser and creamier. It’s a popular dessert street-food found throughout countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Burma and in the Middle East.
As the only alcohol-infused ice cream parlor in Arizona, Lee’s Cream Liqueur is making a name for itself. The owner and creator of the 823-square-foot parlor is Lee Turner, a systems engineer by day and a dairy processor by night. The self-proclaimed ice cream enthusiast describes her treats as a cross between ice cream and gelato. The shop is located in Old Town Scottsdale in what Turner calls the “restaurant district.”
Atlanta-based Carvel, the United States’ first retail ice cream franchise, went back to its roots by bringing back its classic look — with a modern twist. It updated its stores and logo, and introduced new technologies.
There are no secrets to making award-winning cheeses. Just buy the freshest milk and hire the best cheesemakers. Tillamook invites tourists to see the process from an observation deck inside the processing plant.
It is bad enough to have one co-worker looking over your shoulder while you are trying to do your job. Imagine total strangers watching you work. That’s the situation in Tillamook, Ore., where, over the course of a year, 1 million tourists stop at the Tillamook County Creamery Association factory, climb the steps to a second-story observation deck, and watch the cheesemaking process unfold below them.
Wisconsin contest honors Gifford’s: For the third year in a row, Gifford’s Dairy, Skowhegan, Maine, was selected the Ice Cream Grand Champion in the World Dairy Expo (WDE) Championship Dairy Product Contest.
The little co-op that can Tillamook County Creamery Association is growing beyond its roots in the Pacific Northwest. Meet the dairy cooperative making award-winning premium cheeses that are among the top-selling brands.
Cheesemaking is all about balance and achieving consistency in the finished product. When the cheesemaker is also a dairy cooperative, there are additional and often competing concerns to balance. The farmer members of the co-op want a fair price for their milk, but the processing side doesn’t want to overpay, lest the finished product is too expensive for the market.
Flagsheep from Beecher’s Handmade Cheese was named the Best of Show in the 2012 competition of the American Cheese Society. The cheesemaker has locations in Seattle and New York City.