Guest Columns

Perspective:
Dairy Marketing

Enter the Golden State of Dairy

Jennifer Giambroni, vice president of communications for the California Milk Advisory Board, is a guest columnist for Cheese Market News®.

Jennifer Giambroni, vice president of communications for the California Milk Advisory Board, is a guest columnist for Cheese Market News®.

Welcome June — dairy month, summer’s sweet kickoff and the International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA) Show. As a dairy marketer, it’s always invigorating to participate in this show of shows, but it’s always a little extra special when we’re able to welcome the event to California. Out-of-state/country attendees may notice that the Golden State is a little more green than gold this year, which, given our reputation for sustainability, feels appropriate.

Speaking of, sustainability will be a major theme of the next few days in recognition of the importance consumers are placing on this value. According to Information Resources Inc., nine in 10 shoppers maintained or increased their sustainable purchase habits in 2022, even as budgets got tighter.

As a key element of how we differentiate real milk and dairy ingredients, we’ll be spotlighting sustainability from the farm to the food in everything from booth graphics to recipes with upcycled ingredients, even What’s in Store Live demos showcasing a sustainable grazing board. And at the core ingredient level, we continue to share a tremendous sustainable farming story, supported most recently by research out of the University of California, Davis supporting California dairy’s ability to meet the state’s aggressive methane reduction goals and reach climate neutrality by 2030.

As consumers tune into topics of upcycling and food waste reduction, one area of focus is on the use of byproducts. If you eat almonds, drink wine or beer, or enjoy prepared fruits and veggies in convenient formats, you may not think about the byproducts or co-products of their production. Those hulls, the grape pomace, distilled brewer’s grains, peels and trimmings all need a home.

At the farm level, we’re expert upcyclers. Dairy farmers for years have been upcycling food and ag byproducts into a sustainable source of quality feed. This reduces the use of inputs like water to grow new feed, while keeping them out of landfills, thus reducing their related emissions. In California, a state rich with agricultural products, upwards of 40% of a dairy cow’s diet is made up of these items that were once considered “waste.” And we’re not feeding our cows garbage — far from it : Their unique digestive system takes these items that can’t or aren’t consumed by humans and converts them into the most nutritious product you can find, milk.

• Nature’s perfect food

We continue to believe that the future of milk is milk — the real stuff with its incredible nutritional profile and sustainable production story. While many try to replicate this most perfect food, our industry will continue to focus on investments in innovation from the product to the packaging side. And ample examples will be on display at IDDBA where dairy inspiration abounds.

Each year we’re blown away by the ideas at IDDBA and those coming into the Real California Milk Excelerator product innovation competition. Now in its fifth year, we anticipate a plethora of concepts from food, beverages and textiles to beauty and pet applications. But food is really where dairy shines. In the California Dairy Pavilion at IDDBA, guests will have a chance to sample products from 20 processors, including past Excelerator finalists. They also can enjoy creative culinary applications for dairy ingredients by chef Joe Baird inspired by global flavors from Mexico, Japan, France, Italy and South America, as well as the latest trends from foodservice to social media influencers, which are driving not only experimentation but consumption.

Food content on social can be overwhelming, but we’re rewarded to see channels like TikTok et. al. (and their consumer creators) continue their love affair with cheese and dairy products.

The most recent lens has been placed firmly on my personal favorite: cottage cheese. Warning — major sidebar ahead. As a fan who’s been desperate to make the return of cottage cheese happen for the past 10 years, it’s about dang time. I was hopeful when, in 2018, the New York Times asked, “Is America ready to love cottage cheese again?” But the young consumer at the time said, “no whey!”

What a difference a blender makes. Our digital curd nerds, who understand the appeal of cottage cheese as a flavor carrier and source of quality protein, got past their texture issues by just making it smooth. And now Little Miss Muffet’s favorite is getting the full viral trend rollout in ice cream, dips, bowls, pasta, bread and even cookie dough. I’m so here for it.

These trends tend to have some fundamental themes including simplicity, taste appeal, some sort of functionality (not always nutrition) and, in these cash-strapped times, minimal, low-cost ingredients. Dairy’s triple value equation of flavor, function and frugality easily makes the grade. We look forward to tasting a diversity of examples in Anaheim and look forward to seeing you in the California Dairy Pavilion.

CMN

The views expressed by CMN’s guest columnists are their own opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of Cheese Market News®.

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