Processor rewarding farmers' commitment to producing high quality milk produced by pasture-raised cows.

Anyone thinking butter is just another dairy product should look no further than South Korean boy band BTS, which just two years ago released a song simply titled “Butter,” which includes the lyrics, “Smooth like butter, pull you in like no other.” 

In rural Ohio, equidistant from Cleveland and Pittsburgh, lies America’s oldest family-owned butter and cheese creamery. A fifth generation operates 129-year-old Minerva Dairy today, with a sixth generation on the way.

The partnership with Atalanta will allow Minerva to benefit from Atalanta’s distribution, warehouses, and sales team. In turn, Atalanta is proud to grow its portfolio of premium butter. 

Ray joins Minerva Dairy — a fifth-generation, family-owned company — after having served as senior director of Quality and Regulatory for SmithFoods Inc. and, previously, as Quality and Sanitation Manager for the Kraft Heinz Co, both based in Ohio

Minerva Dairy uses only farm-fresh milk from pasture-raised cows to ensure a creamier, richer, and more flavorful product that’s naturally GMO-, antibiotic-, and gluten-free.  

Established in 2013, the Hall of Distinction seeks to recognize graduates and friends of the Department of Food Science and Technology — part of Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences — who have “made significant contributions to the food science and technology profession.” 

Steven H. Lefkowitz joined Minerva Dairy as chief financial officer on July 5. A veteran financial leader and Ohio native, Lefkowitz is a growth-oriented business executive who brings a new vision of corporate governance to the fifth-generation family-owned company.