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SUMMER 2021 | VOLUME 2

JUNE DAIRY MONTH

INNOVATION

COMMERCIAL

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

DEMO DAY 2021

BUY ONE. GIVE ONE.

SAVE THE DATE

Learn more about the companies in DFA’s 2021 CoLAB Accelerator program.

The Creamery, our retail store in Beaver, Utah, is giving back to celebrate June Dairy Month.

Mark your calendar for DFA’s first Diversity and Inclusion Week in July.

COOPERATIVE

CELEBRATING SUSTAINABLY MADE DAIRY THROUGHOUT JUNE DAIRY MONTH Join the Nerd Herd all June Dairy Month as we free the world from the misconception that dairy is bad for the planet, while reinforcing our commitment to getting to net-zero. It will take a herd, a Nerd Herd, of agronomists, engineers, innovators, nutritionists, researchers, scientists and many more, including all of you, to support our family farm-owners and DFA on our sustainability journey. While our celebration started this June, our sustainability journey has been happening for years. Dairy farmers are the original stewards of the land, with centuries-long traditions of caring for their animals and farming responsibly. Over the next decade, we will continue on this journey with a goal of reducing both direct and value chain greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30% by 2030 and reaching net-zero by 2050. So, can milk really save the planet? We’re already beginning to adopt wind turbines, solar panels, anaerobic digesters and more to reach net-zero. Working across the dairy supply chain to reduce GHG emissions will require action guided by these key strategies: • Mitigating methane emissions from cows by supporting advances in feed eﬃciency, herd nutrition and feed additives designed to reduce emissions • Using renewable energy methods, such as solar panels and wind power, on our farms and in our plants • Utilizing anaerobic digesters, which convert manure and food waste to energy, on farms and in plants • Capturing emissions through healthy soil and crops • Creating transportation and hauling eﬃciencies to reduce emissions • Exploring innovative technologies and solutions to reduce emissions and promote environmental stewardship With these in mind, each week throughout June, we’re focusing on freeing different dairy products from the misconception that they are bad for the earth. Check out all the videos and learn more at DFANerdHerd.com.

HELP US BY SHARING THE FACTS As a member of the Nerd Herd, you can help — by continuing to do your part and showing your support by consuming dairy all month long. Snap a photo while you enjoy a tall glass of milk, cheesy slice of pizza or scrumptious ice cream cone and be sure to share it with dfacomm@dfamilk.com or post on social media with #DFANerdHerd and tag @dfamilk for a chance to win products from The Creamery.

PUT YOUR NERD HERD KNOWLEDGE TO THE TEST You may already think you have the best job on the planet (we’re sure glad to have you!), but does your occupation match up with how you enjoy dairy most? Scan the QR code to take our interactive quiz in partnership with BuzzFeed to reveal the occupation that best fits you based on your dairy preferences. Share your results on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.

thescoop | Summer 2021

Steve Galaviz | Adrian, Mich., United States

Annie Clinkenbeard | Kansas City, Mo., United States

CELEBRATING WORLD MILK DAY ACROSS THE GLOBE We kicked off June Dairy Month by celebrating World Milk Day on June 1. DFA employees from around the globe commemorated the day by sharing how they support sustainably made dairy.

Koh Hanao | Japan

Veena Trangtrakul | Thailand

Victor Kan | Singapore

Steve Finer | New Zealand Julian Cardona | Singapore

thescoop | Summer 2021

BRAND TALK

INNOVATION

FARM FRESH (LACTOSE-FREE) MILK

DEMO DAY 2021

When you think of lactose-free milk, you may think of a dairy alternative — but it is, in fact, real dairy and it’s a growing category in milk. Lactosefree milk contains all the same vitamins and nutrients as regular milk, just without lactose, a natural sugar found only in milk. Our bodies need the enzyme lactase to digest lactose, but if your body doesn’t produce enough lactase, you become lactose intolerant, causing digestive side effects. This milk is a great alternative to regular milk for those who are lactoseintolerant but still want the same great nutrition of regular milk.

After three months of hard work, honing their pitches, learning more about the industry and creating partnerships, the seven companies participating in DFA’s CoLAB Accelerator, our program to grow ag-tech and dairy foods startups, will showcase their efforts during this year’s Demo Day, 10–11 a.m., Thursday, June 24.

Most lactose-free milk is made using ultra-high temperature (UHT) pasteurization to allow for a longer shelf life. But now those who are lactose intolerant have a fresh option to choose from. Alta Dena® Dairy, our farmer-owned brand throughout Southern California, recently introduced lactose-free milk, produced at Alta Dena Dairy South, one of the two DFA plants in City of Industry, Calif. Unlike other products, this one is made with completely fresh milk and available at a less expensive price than our competitors. To preserve the great farmfresh taste, it’s made using double high temperature, short time (HTST) pasteurization. Opposite from UHT pasteurization, HTST uses lower temperatures to pasteurize the milk, eliminating bad bacteria but keeping the healthy bacteria our bodies need. While many national brands offer lactose-free milk, Alta Dena stands out as the only local, farmer-owned brand. “Alta Dena identified a growing category that was dominated by national brands with very little local brand presence,” says Victor Gastelum, general manager of Alta Dena Dairy South.

“

Alta Dena is now proud to present a fresh, lactose-free gallon oﬀering that is bottled locally in Southern California with milk from our family farmers.

Alta Dena offers this lactose-free milk in a gallon size in both 2% and whole varieties. You can find it throughout retail stores in Southern California including Big Saver Foods, Cardenas, Numero Uno Market, Stater Bros. Markets®, Super A Foods and WinCo Foods.

thescoop | Summer 2021

Demo Day provides an opportunity for the startup companies to present their pitches for an audience of potential customers, partners and investors. After Demo Day, the companies will go on to use these pitches to best tell the story of their business as they continue to grow. This is the second year Demo Day has taken place virtually — in fact, the whole program took place virtually, from meetings with DFA mentors and the founding companies to educational programing and webinars to virtual happy hours and team meetings. “While we miss having an in-person component and hope to do that next year, going virtual has allowed us to open up the program to more companies and enabled us to offer more experts at DFA and dairy industry resources across the country for the founders,” says Doug Dresslaer, director of cultural innovation. Now in its fifth year, DFA’s CoLAB Accelerator helps us form strategic partnerships that benefit our family farm-owners. “We look forward to watching these companies continue to grow and make a difference in the dairy industry and their communities and will explore how we can work together in the future,” Doug says. Be sure to watch The Parlor and digital signage for more information about attending Demo Day live or watching a recording after the event.

For more information on the companies participating this year, visit colab.dfamilk.com.

PLANTS

COMMERCIAL

SAVE IT FOR LATER

BUY ONE. GIVE ONE.

A deep dive into shelf-stable milk Shelf-stable milk, also known as aseptic, offers the convenience of being able to stock up on the good stuff — from whole milk or 2% to sports drinks and chocolate milk — without the need to refrigerate it right away. With the same nutrition as a cold gallon or pint of regular milk, shelf-stable milk provides the same health benefits but a longer shelf life. A special manufacturing process enables it to last in your pantry for up to a year, rather than in the refrigerator for a week or so. Milk is made shelf-stable by pasteurizing it at a higher temperature, called ultra-high temperature (UHT) pasteurization. While all milk goes through the important pasteurization process to eliminate harmful bacteria and make it safe to consume, UHT is just a different process at a higher temperature, killing more bacteria that would otherwise cause milk to spoil quicker. Put simply, milk is heated to approximately 300 degrees Fahrenheit and then bottled in bacteriaproof packages, ensuring the product will last on shelves and be safe to drink at a later time. Once opened, the bacteria-proof seal is compromised, meaning it needs to be refrigerated immediately and used within a week of opening. This process is made possible at plants with the right technology and processing equipment. At DFA, aseptic and extended shelf-life capabilities are a natural fit in our processing capabilities and support our vision of creating new demand by delivering all the possibilities of dairy. Our Kemps® Giving Cow single-serve milk cartons, Siips flavored milk cans and mülü are all extended shelf-life products produced with fresh milk from our family farms and manufactured at our plants with the capabilities designed to make aseptic milk possible. We also work with our customers to provide our processing capabilities for a variety of sports drinks and single-serve milk cartons.

In celebration of June Dairy Month, The Creamery, our retail store in Beaver, Utah, will match purchases of its shelf-stable milk made throughout the month of June and donate to a local community food bank in July. Shelf-stable milk varieties available include plain, chocolate, strawberry and root beer float. All purchases of The Creamery shelfstable milk both in-store and online apply. “From our family farm-owners to our local employees, The Creamery is rooted in the value of community,” says Marie teVelde, senior director of retail operations and marketing at The Creamery. “To celebrate National Dairy Month, we are investing in our community the way our customers invest in us every day.”

Check out the shelf-stable milk at thecreameryutah.com/collections/milk.

Plants that produce shelf-stable milk • Cumberland Dairy, Bridgeton, N.J. • St. Paul Beverage Solutions (BevSo), St. Paul, Minn. • S tremicks Heritage Foods™, Cedar City, Utah; Joplin, Mo.; Riverside, Calif.; Santa Ana, Calif. thescoop | Summer 2021

CULTURE

HALF & HALF SUMMER 2021 ISSUE HITTING MAILBOXES The summer 2021 issue of Half & Half, our magazine celebrating dairy and those who make it, is on its way to your home — if it hasn’t arrived already. Among other articles and recipes, this edition features the fanciest milkshakes you’ve ever laid eyes on, cheesy creations made on the grill, how one Idaho dairy treats their employees like family and a look at a Texas dairy’s commitment to eﬃciency and sustainability.

Tim Haynes | Superior Dairy | Garrett, Ind. Photos provided by American Dairy Association Indiana Inc.

FARM

WINNERS DRINK MILK

Want to share the goodness of Half & Half? Gift a subscription to a friend or family member. Employees can use coupon code SUMMEREMP2021 at halfandhalfmag.com/subscribe to receive 25% off an annual subscription. Help spread the word about the goodness of Half & Half. Be sure to follow Half & Half on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for more recipes and inspiration, and tell your friends and family to follow us, too.

For nearly 90 years, the winner of the Indianapolis 500 has looked forward to more than the Borg-Warner Trophy, prize money and bragging rights — because winners drink milk. In 1933, three-time Indy 500 winner Louis Meyer requested buttermilk to quench his thirst after the long race. Since then, American Dairy Association Indiana Inc. selects a dairy producer each year to represent Indiana dairy farms and the industry as the milk man or woman. The role is a two-year commitment, with a rookie year delivering milk to the car owner and head mechanic and a veteran year delivering milk to the winning driver.

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At this year’s Indy 500, which took place Sunday, May 30, DFA family farm-owner Tim Haynes of Superior Dairy in Garrett, Ind., kept the milk cold as the rookie milk man. “The Winners Drink Milk tradition is a great opportunity to showcase the goodness of milk,” Tim says. “The tradition gives Indiana dairy farmers a chance to represent the industry, promote our products and spread awareness of how important and nutritious milk is.” In addition to the exciting atmosphere at the track, the fans and racing teams can’t wait to see which driver wins and which milk they choose. Iced down in coolers, whole, 2% and skim milk varieties ensure the winner gets the milk of their choice. According to ESPN, the ice-cold drink of milk is the coolest trophy in sports, and we couldn’t agree more. If you ask us, the milk at the finish line is the reason drivers want to win. There’s no better trophy. 6

thescoop | Summer 2021

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EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

STEVE BROYLES

In his fifth year with DFA, Steve understands the importance of working alongside the family farm-owners he’s serving.

Although some employees work closer to our family farm-owners than others, each employee at DFA plays a significant role in bringing value to them. The member services team, which consists of both field and oﬃce staff, is dedicated to supporting our farm families — from empowering DFA’s legislative voice to coordinating logistics and transportation to providing services like milk marketing, risk management, insurance and more.

“Something special happens when you go help milk cows,” Steve says. “I’ve always said that nobody cares what you know until they know that you care. We have to be there on their schedule — not our schedule — if we want to make a difference.”

For Steve Broyles, field supervisor, covering the southern part of the Mideast Area, going the extra mile to support our family farm-owners is just what he and his team does. Earlier this year, Steve received a call from a member in a predicament — his wife was in the hospital having their fourth baby and his farm employee had to leave for Washington, D.C., on short notice for duty with the U.S. National Guard. When Steve received the call, he immediately assured the member he would milk his 17 cows.

Outside of his role at DFA, Steve enjoys working on home improvement projects on his own farm in Harrodsburg, Ky., where he lives with his wife and their two children. He credits his ability to serve his area of family farm-owners without boundaries to his family, who make sacrifices while he’s away or working overtime.

“When someone needs an extra hand, you don’t give it two thoughts,” Steve says. “That’s the way we try to operate in member services. We’re here to serve our members, and sometimes it means being on the farm and milking cows.” At 11 years old and throughout college, Steve worked on three different dairy farms — his neighbor’s farm, his grandpa’s farm and his college’s farm at West Virginia University. His dad was also a DFA field representative for 35 years, so helping to milk and care for dairy cows is second nature to Steve.

“This job is a lifestyle,” Steve says. “I have to give credit to my wife and my family because, at a moment’s notice, I don’t think about taking off to step in when extra help is needed.” Steve is just one example of the DFA employees who go above and beyond each day to do their part in delivering value to our family farm-owners. As a DFA community, we each play a role in ensuring the success of our Cooperative and our family farm-owners. According to Steve, “We’re all here to help. If you’re not in the business of helping, you’re with the wrong company.”

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

To raise awareness and emphasize our culture of community, we will celebrate with Diversity and Inclusion Week July 26–30, 2021.

SAVE THE DATE: DFA’S FIRST DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION WEEK

Throughout the week, you will have the opportunity to engage in activities and conversations that will spotlight the diversity of DFA and how we can continue to become a more inclusive community. There is always more to be done surrounding diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We’ll provide ways to get involved and learn more about one another and our efforts at DFA.

As a Cooperative, we strive to live our value of community not only through our day-to-day work, but also in our relationships and interactions with our family farmer-owners, our customers and one another. We work to create and promote a culture that is welcoming to everyone, regardless of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, ability and more.

If you have any questions regarding the week or diversity and inclusion eﬀorts at DFA, email the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council at inclusion@dfamilk.com. thescoop | Summer 2021

COMMERCIAL

DFA 101: INGREDIENT SOLUTIONS It’s in the division’s name and the fiber of what they do — providing solutions for their customers. Our Ingredient Solutions Division seeks to earn the business and trust of innovative food companies, food service distributors and restaurants by building partnerships that lead to extraordinary culinary outcomes. The division’s culture of ingenuity, integrity and collaboration drives team members to achieve its vision of enriching communities and consumers’ lives through all the possibilities of dairy, resulting in absolute satisfaction for their customers and consumers around the world. With expertise in food manufacturing, food service and retail channels, the Ingredients Solutions Division produces a variety of products ranging from dairy powders, cheese, sweetened condensed milk, butter, concentrated pastes, dairy-type flavors and more. The ingredients are created across 24 manufacturing facilities around the country, supported by two research and development centers, and dedicated team members to service customers, both domestically and internationally. Some products you may recognize that the division creates include cheese powder for Annie’s™ Mac & Cheese and the iconic cheese powder that coats Doritos®. Ingredient Solutions also provides the provolone cheese Jimmy John’s® uses on its Freaky Fast sandwiches and the Monterey Jack cheese that makes Chipotle quesadillas so cheesy. The division also provides solutions by working with customers to tailor products to fit the needs of the customer. For instance, recently, the division worked with Cabot®, a Vermont based dairy cooperative, to source Vermont cheese to produce a cheese powder for their newly launched mac and cheese. In another example, the division developed a fully customized flavored butter for SONIC® that was used on a limited-time offer cheeseburger.

customer is happy with the solution, the project moves to a research and development center to begin the formulation process. A research and development scientist, along with a process technologist, work to begin creating the product, both in the food lab and in small-scale production runs. Special equipment like smaller cheese vats and a spray dryer allow the Innovation Center to create and perfect the products inhouse. After the customer approves the product, the project transitions to the process technology team. The team works closely with the plant to set up the item and assist with commercializing the product by creating new raw materials, packaging and labels, if needed. As an example of the production scale-up process, the DFA plant in Bruce, Wis., the smallest Ingredient Solutions specialty powders plant, can run smaller quantities on products and trials, resulting in less waste. The plant collaborates with research and development, along with sales, to grow new products — and finally, the products are moved to a larger plant that can run larger quantities more eﬃciently. From idea to implementation, various locations and job responsibilities, the Ingredient Solutions Division delivers value to our family farm-owners by adapting and providing solutions our customers are looking for — or didn’t even know they needed.

Now that you’re oﬃcially hungry — let’s talk about the cross-functional team that gets new concepts to customers and eventually, consumers around the world. Developing innovation solutions The account management team proactively proposes new ideas, concepts, products and solutions to current and prospective customers. The team also receives requests from customers to help with innovation projects or to solve problems they may have. Each time a new idea, product or solution is proposed, the team ensures the project adds value for both our family farm-owners and customers. To kick the product development process off, the account team gathers information from the customer, such as strategy, goals, recent product launches and more. The information is then analyzed to determine how DFA and the customer can collaborate to provide a solution. After creating a plan of action, the account team proposes the idea to the customer. If the

Eduarda Pereira | DFA Turlock | Turlock, Calif.

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