Many of our workdays have looked a little different over the past year. But one thing has remained constant for a lot of us: starting the morning with a coffee- or tea-based beverage.

Last year was a monumental one for the world, and a newsworthy one for Tillamook County Creamery Association, too. The Tillamook, Ore.-based cooperative became a Certified B Corporation, donated $4 million dollars to a COVID-19 relief fund and partnered with the American Farmland Trust to help secure farmland for future generations.

Emulsifiers, stabilizers and gums are the unsung heroes of many dairy products. Not only do they create desired textures, but they also help offerings avoid nasty issues such as syneresis and keep their attributes throughout shelf life.

Healthy eating is nothing new, and consumers have long looked to food as part of their wellness goals. In the past decades, processors have met consumer needs by offering products such as low-fat dairy that supposedly helped people keep their weight down.

Americans' love affair with cheese is defying gravity. According to Chicago-based market research firm IRI, over the 52 weeks ending Sept. 6, 2020, natural cheese retail sales were swinging high through the air.

Retail ice cream sales might not have being eating fire this year, but they certainly have been on fire. Over the 52 weeks ending Sept. 6, 2020, dollar sales in the ice cream subcategory of the larger ice cream/sherbet category were up 13.4% (to $6,841.8 million).

Ask 10 people what "sustainability" means to them, and you'd probably get 10 different answers. Its dictionary definition is simple: the ability to sustain something at its current level. And dairy companies, many of which have already existed for over a century, might know a thing or two about that.

You could say that chocolate and dairy are a match made in heaven, though some of today's health-minded consumers consider the duo sinful indulgence.

The small town of Ellsworth, Wis., which is tucked into the Northwest corner of Wisconsin close to the Twin Cities, has a big claim to fame. In a state renowned for its cheese curds, it was the town designated the "Cheese Curd Capital of Wisconsin" due to being home to the eponymous Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery.