Dairyland Packaging marks 45th year as a family-owned solutions provider

Photo courtesy of Dairyland Packaging

SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS — As the dairy industry shifts more to a sustainably focused mindset, Dairyland Packaging — which is celebrating 45 years in business — recently launched a “Green Initiatives” program to focus on efficient, environmentally friendly packaging solutions. “We’re looking closely at our practices and how we can incorporate more sustainable options,” says Ellie Kraimer, pictured above, national accounts manager and part of the Green Initiatives team.

Photo courtesy of Dairyland Packaging

FAMILY-OWNED — Located in South Central Wisconsin in the Village of Cross Plains, Dairyland Packaging always has prided itself on hard work, building relationships and unmatched customer service.

By Alyssa Mitchell

CROSS PLAINS, Wis. — Dairyland Packaging LLC, a dairy packaging provider based in South Central Wisconsin, is celebrating its 45th year in business. The family-owned, fourth-generation company has its sights on emerging trends in packaging with a focus on sustainable solutions.

“We are a one-source packaging company. Any product you need to package, we supply it all, from protecting the product to shipping it out the door. We specialize in providing everything you need to ensure it arrives safely to the end user,” says CEO Renee Howard Dahlk.

• A proud dairy heritage

Dairyland Packaging was founded in 1980 in Cross Plains, Wisconsin, by Dennis Howard and made a name for itself servicing the dairy and agricultural industry in Wisconsin. Since then, the company has experienced uninterrupted growth and expansion; its customer base now spans international markets and covers multiple industries. Howard’s children — Doug and Renee — purchased the business in 2017.

Renee notes the company values its farmer roots and prides itself on being there at the inception for many large dairies that have grown and are very well known. When many of these companies were starting out, they were sourcing custom solutions from Dairyland Packaging due to its extensive network of customers and vendors, she says.

She adds that dairy is in the company’s blood — her great-grandparents owned a large dairy farm in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and her grandmother was crowned the 1942 Wisconsin Dairy Queen at the Wisconsin State Fair, a few years before “Alice in Dairyland” began in 1948. Dairyland Packaging continues to support the Wisconsin State Fair each year, attending the annual Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Products Contest & Auction and purchasing butter, sour cream, yogurt and cheese. The company also is a proud member of several dairy associations including the Southwest Cheese Makers Association, Midwest Food Packaging Association, Central Wisconsin Cheesemakers and Buttermakers Association, Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association and Wisconsin Dairy Products Association. In addition, the company belongs to the Wisconsin Association of Meat Processors.

The third generation has joined the business with the addition of Renee’s son, Derek, who works in sales. Her daughter, Sarah, also assists with graphics and marketing materials, including launching a redesign of the company’s website in 2021.

“I grew up traveling to plants with my grandfather, so coming back to this industry after college is meaningful to me,” Derek says. “It’s exciting to take a family tradition and adapt it to what the future is going to be. Having that opportunity is amazing.”

Renee adds that new generations can learn a lot from the past, something she taps into quite a bit.

“A lot of people have moved around, and the dairy industry is multigenerational also, so there are still several connections. It’s a different generation, but they’re making the same connections due to those who came before them. We feel that the new generation in the dairy industry is rising, and it’s the same here at Dairyland Packaging.”

• Innovative products, custom solutions

Dairyland Packaging is home to the “original cow gift box,” an iconic cow-decorated gift box for cheese that still is a staple of the company’s product lineup today.

It also offers multiwall bags, standup pouches, specialty bags and films, shipping materials, rigid plastic containers and bulk totes/super sacks. The multiwall bags are available with custom barrier liners and sustainable, high-performance papers that are both renewable and environmentally friendly, while its specialty films and bags are available in varieties including form shrink, forming and non-forming flexible/semi-rigid, vertical and horizontal form-fill-seal, overwrap bundling/shrink films, poly bags, covers and barrier shrink bags.

Its shipping materials safeguard products and include boxes, liners, bundling film, foam, pallets, pallet covers, paper pulp molds, roll cradles, shredded grass, strapping, stretch film or tape. Its rigid plastic containers include an assortment of cups and lids, containers, pails and an array of molded and thermoformed plastics.

Newer to its product lineup are seaweed, agave and biodegradable packaging that does not leave any traces of microplastics in the Earth. This resin-type material is something customers increasingly are looking for, Renee notes, adding that Dairyland Packaging has salespeople who specialize in each of its product lines.

“There’s been a large change in the volume of plastics that are being used compared to cardboard and paper,” she says. “There are more specialty films available for everything as opposed to the films of the past. Now there are so many variations available, and they’re much stronger and more efficient.

“We offer same-day and just-in-time delivery, as well as made-to-order and custom options,” she adds. “We come up with custom packaging to suit your product and to ship it most efficiently to get it where it needs to go.”

Renee notes the company sources from an array of vendors so it can find the exact right solution for each customer.

“It’s not cookie cutter — we will find what works the best logistically and give our customers exactly what they need,” she says.

Dan LaMarche, a longtime customer and former president of Agropur global ingredients, says Dairyland Packaging has been a strategic partner that is proactive in bringing innovation and cost savings to the table.

“They have excellent customer service and are quick to respond to changing customer requirements,” he says.

• The Green Initiatives program

As the dairy industry shifts more to a sustainably focused mindset — from the feed given to cows to the packaging for products on the shelf — Dairyland Packaging recently launched a “Green Initiatives” program to focus on efficient, environmentally friendly packaging solutions.

Along with Derek Dahlk, Ellie Kraimer, national accounts manager, is a key part of this team, which brings in prospective vendors to see what’s new in sustainable packaging solutions.

“We’re looking closely at our practices and how we can incorporate more sustainable options,” Kraimer says. “It tends to be more expensive — but it shows dividends down the line. Certain manufacturers we currently work with have sustainable innovations or goals for the future, and we want to hold them accountable to that.

When I’m sourcing, I look for whether there is a sustainable alternative that doesn’t break the bank.”

Whether it’s packaging materials or shipment efficiencies, Kraimer says it’s important to look for synergies wherever possible.

“Those are the little steps that can lead to big changes later,” she says.

Despite its growth, Renee says Dairyland Packaging always will strive to maintain its customer-first, friendly atmosphere.

“During business hours, we always have someone who answers the phone, every single day — there’s no automated system except for after hours,” she says. “We have someone available to put you in touch with who you need to talk to, and I think that helps to set us apart.

“Through cutting-edge solutions and a focus on sustainability, we aim to meet the packaging needs of our customers and partners, while minimizing our ecological footprint and promoting a greener future,” she adds.

CMN

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