Articles by Brian Berk

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.

PACK EXPO LAS Vegas will celebrate 30 years of its trade show with several new wrinkles. Show producer PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, has elevated PACK EXPO Las Vegas from a regional trade show to a global industry stalwart by expanding its scale, influence and relevance across international markets. 

After receiving several great applications, the Dairy Foods editorial staff determined that California Dairies Inc.’s (CDI) Valley Natural Beverages (VNB) facility in Bakersfield, Calif., should be honored as the 2025 Plant of the Year. 

When looking at alternatives to traditional milk, as defined by Chicago-based market research firm Circana, one category clearly stands out: kefir. Sales of the refrigerated beverages are red hot, with dollar sales rising 23% year over year (YoY) to $211 million during the 52-week period ending June 15. This figure was bested by unit sales, which increased 26% YoY to 55 million.

Milk was once thought of as the dairy industry’s weak link in terms of sales. But the 2025 Plant of the Year, California Dairies Inc.’s (CDI) Valley Natural Beverage facility in Bakersfield, Calif., proves otherwise. See article in this issue.

Adam Geissler, director of strategic accounts at New York City-based Augury, discusses how innovative tech solutions like artificial intelligence (AI) can help the dairy industry  prevent production loss and much more..

Although some dairy processors are operated by large cooperatives with succession plans, while other family-run businesses have a next generation waiting in the wings, a large swath of business owners are confronted with concerns about future leadership.

Welcome to the Dairy Top 100, Dairy Foods’ industry-leading list of the Top 100 dairy companies/dairy processors in North America.

Saying that “butter is on a roll” may be a play on words, but it is definitely also the truth. Butter/butter blend sales today are incredibly smooth, jumping nearly 10% for the 52-week period ending May 18, with dollar sales reaching just slightly below $6 billion, according to Circana.

Ludovic Meilhac, expert partner at McKinsey & Co., joins Dairy Foods for Episode 55 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast to discuss dairy trends.