MARCH 2025 vol. 126 no. 3
IN THIS ISSUE
Dairy Foods Extra
With spring on the horizon, the dairy industry looks forward to heading to Madison, Wis., for CheeseCon, set to take place from April 15 to 17 at the Alliant Energy Center.
Inside the pLant
Founded in 1885, the family-owned and -operated Nasonville Dairy is run by the three Heiman brothers. The dairy processes 1.8 million pounds of milk a day at three plants, including its main 65,000-square-foot plant that produces 15% of all the Feta sold in the United States, 40# Block Cheddar Cheese and several varieties of flavored cheese.
Processing TECHNOLOGIES
As input and labor costs remain high, dairy processors are looking to optimize production efficiency and cut costs. Pumps and valves, though a seemingly small aspect of dairy production, enable processors to achieve these goals.
INGREDIENT TECHNOLOGIES
It is clear that sugar is a serious topic for the dairy industry — as well as ingredient suppliers — to address. Fortunately, as Dairy Foods has covered in recent years, sugar reduction remains a top priority for the dairy industry.
OUTLOOK REPORT
Recognizing that March is “Women's History Month,” Dairy Foods, for the third consecutive year, proudly recognizes the outstanding achievements women have made within the multifaceted dairy industry. We spotlight five fascinating women at the top of their game who are on a mission to lead and inspire others.
PROCESSOR PROFILE
In addition to making seven varieties of spicy, hot cheddar cheeses such as Carolina Reaper and Scorpion, the Central Wisconsin-based Nasonville Dairy, a third-generation, medium-sized cheese processor, is “hot” for handcrafting 42 varieties of premium cheese, including Cheddar, Colby, Monterey Jack, Farmer’s, Pizza, Feta, Gouda, Fontina and Parmesan along with many flavored cheeses like Blue Marble Jack, Garlic & Herb, and Horseradish.
FEATURES
DAIRY FOODS EXTRA
With PROOF Hard Ice Cream currently expanding at a blazing pace, corporate executives acknowledge they will soon outgrow its 4,000-square-foot South Carolina plant.
EXPORTER OF THE YEAR
South Carolina is perhaps where the next great dairy segment has been born: alcohol-infused ice cream. At the forefront of the alcohol-infused ice cream movement is PROOF Hard Ice Cream, led by Jennifer Randall, co-founder and CEO, and Dirk Brown, co-founder and chairman, who founded the start-up in 2014.
FEATURES
DEPARTMENTS
Eat. Drink. Dairy.
Ben & Jerry’s introduces new Sundaes lineup; Dunkin’ turns coffee time into treat time; and International Delight fosters a love connection.
Market Trends
During the past several years, the phrase “a win is a win” has been uttered by many athletes, often in reference to winning a game or a match without a dominant performance. The phrase can be aptly applied to the overall frozen novelty category.
"Let’s Talk Dairy" Podcast
Katie Brown, EdD, RDN, president of the National Dairy Council (NDC), a nonprofit education organization founded by U.S. dairy farmers with a vision of a healthy, sustainable world with science as its foundation, joins Dairy Foods for Episode 50 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast.
OPERATIONS
Global Insights
Early 2025 is shaping up as a potentially volatile dairy market, with plenty of unknowns around government policy, animal diseases, a record amount of new cheese processing capacity coming online as well as changes to the Federal Milk Marketing Order pricing formulas, columnist Nate Donnay writes.
Washington Watch
After a four-year hiatus, the second Trump administration has hit the ground running, teeing up several proposed policy changes that could impact the dairy industry, says IDFA’s J. David Carlin. One of the new administration’s major goals is to “Make America Healthy Again,” which will include a focus on improving dietary choices as a way of promoting better health outcomes.
Equipment Showcase
Dairy Foods highlights the latest solutions in cheesemaking equipment.
INGREDIENTS/R&D
Health & Wellness
The importance of dairy consumption during childhood has been in the press for years. Ongoing research is revealing that the need begins before birth at conception. While in the womb, a mother’s nutritional state and lifestyle habits help shape the child’s future health, says Mary Wilcox.
Dairy Detective
With 6.45 million metric tons (MT) of cheese production in 2023, the United States cheese market is projected to grow to almost $56 billion by 2029. Yet, avoiding material loss is crucial. Prateek Sharma, Ph.D., and Nitin Joshi, Ph.D., dissect cheese functionality and machinability and the ease of cutting, dicing and slicing cheese.
Dairy & Nutrition
In the last two decades, an emerging body of research has mounted showing a link between dairy foods like milk, yogurt and cheese — at a variety of fat levels — and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. National Dairy Council’s Moises Torres-Gonzalez, Ph.D., clarifies the complexities surrounding the impact of dairy foods on heart health.
Ingredient Showcase
We feature the latest ingredients for cheesemaking.
ADPI — SEE AD
Cargill — SEE AD
CEM — SEE AD
Extrutech Plastics — SEE AD
FA&M Symposium — SEE AD
GMI — SEE AD
IDFA — SEE AD
IFPC — SEE AD
Kraemer Bros — SEE AD
Kusel Equip. — SEE AD
Massman Automation — SEE AD
McFinn Tech. — SEE AD
Membrane Technology Forum — SEE AD
Nercon — SEE AD
Noshok — SEE AD
Van der Graaf — SEE AD
