Dairy Processor News - Articles - Page 254

How Safeway is building its own brands

The supermarket chain embraces the concept that it is building brands, not just selling private-label foods and beverages.

October 12, 2012

Innovative marketing plus effective in-store merchandising and support of its private labels demonstrate that Safeway Inc. has made the leap from thinking about private label as merely a low-price alternative to have on its shelves to treating its private labels as CPG companies treat their brands. The result — private-label sales growth at Safeway is outpacing branded sales growth by a three-to-one margin.

For LaClare, great milk makes great goat cheese

October 11, 2012

In a saturated landscape of cheese and dairy farmers in Wisconsin, one little goat farm is doing what it can to stand out with award-winning goat cheese and milk.

Making ice cream the safe way

Safety first, then efficiency. That’s how Safeway makes packaged ice cream and frozen novelties at its plant in Bellevue, Wash. Lean manufacturing principles guide the business.

James Carper

October 10, 2012

Safeway Inc. takes the mystery out of making ice cream. At its Bellevue, Wash., ice cream plant, silos, pasteurizers, stainless steel tubing, flavor vats, fillers and other equipment are all labeled as to their contents or function. There is even a label above a hand-crank pencil sharpener. That was put there either for the benefit of a younger generation raised on hand-held devices (instead of pencil and paper) or else it was an expression of an engineer’s sense of humor.

Crave Brothers make a ‘green’ cheese

October 10, 2012

Crave Brothers, a family-owned and-operated dairy farm and cheese factory tucked away in Waterloo, Wis., is garnering attention with its award-winning farmstead cheeses and green story.

Bel Brands' cheese ring true with consumers

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.

Sarah M. Kennedy

October 9, 2012

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.

Asset sale

Swiss Valley Farms sells a Wisconsin facility to Tritent International

Swiss Valley Farms said the Platteville facility had been non-operational after the dairy cooperative transferred production of its Baby Swiss wheels, loaves and no-salt-added Swiss blocks to White Hill Cheese, Shullsburg, Wis., in October 2011.

October 9, 2012

Swiss Valley Farms, Davenport, Iowa, said it sold its Platteville, Wis., cheese manufacturing facility to Tritent International Agriculture Inc., Chicago. The sale became effective Sept. 18, 2012. Details of the transaction are not being publicly disclosed.

USDA's Dairy Market News

Ads for dairy products show football, baking themes this week

Conventional milk’s national weighted average advertised price for half gallons this period, $2.27, is 14 cents below two weeks ago.

October 5, 2012

Cheese prices across the U.S. continued to move higher this week and milk production is increasing, to varying degrees, across most regions of the nation, reports the USDA's Dairy Market News.

People in the news

Brian Pacheco receives award from UC Davis

He is chairman of the board of California Dairies, Inc. (CDI), the largest dairy cooperative in California.

October 5, 2012

Brian Pacheco, a fourth-generation dairyman from Kerman, Calif., is honored by his alma mater, the University of California, Davis, with an “Award of Distinction” from the university’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES). The award is presented annually to those whose contributions and achievements enhance the college’s ability to provide cutting-edge research, top-notch education, and innovative outreach.

Farm bill wrangling

Dairy farmers oppose (and support) the dairy security act

Farmers hate the act or love it. It depends on who you talk with.

October 4, 2012

Dairy farmers attending the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis., spoke out today about the dangers of a dairy supply management program included in the Farm Bill. But other farmers support the measure.

Reorganization

Smart Balance creates 2 units, changes name to Boulder Brands and moves to Boulder, Colo.

The two operating segments are Smart Balance and Natural.

October 2, 2012

Smart Balance Inc. is changing its name to Boulder Brands Inc., moving its corporate headquarters to Boulder, Colo., and establishing two business segments.