By Mark O'Keefe
DairyAmerica is honored for its service to the U.S. dairy industry, its passionate approach to trade and for exporting dairy ingredients to more than 60 countries.
In a year in which a global supply-chain crisis threatened U.S. dairy exports, DairyAmerica stepped up as a forward-looking problem solver, not just for its member cooperatives, but the entire U.S. dairy industry.
“DairyAmerica went anywhere and everywhere on the supply-chain issue, whenever called upon,” said USDEC President and CEO Krysta Harden. “They met with governors. They came to Washington. They tackled the crisis with data and solutions instead of just anecdotes and emotions. That made a difference for all of us.”
For its service to the U.S. dairy industry, its passionate approach to trade opportunities and its growth in exporting dairy ingredients to more than 60 countries, DairyAmerica is the winner of the 2022 Tom Camerlo U.S. Dairy Exporter of the Year award. The award was given Tuesday at the U.S. Dairy Export Council’s Fall Annual Membership Meeting in Chicago.
“We are very excited," said DairyAmerica President and CEO Patti Smith. “It’s one of those things that was many years in the making. The time has finally come."
The company exports more than 200,000 metric tons of dairy ingredients annually, used around the world in a variety of food products, including nutritional products, cheese, yogurt, bakery, UHT, condensed/sweetened condensed milk and infant formula.
The award is given by Dairy Foods magazine and sponsored by USDEC in honor of the late Tom Camerlo, a former USDEC chairman with a prescient early vision to dramatically expand exports of U.S. cheese and dairy ingredients.
The Exporter of the Year must:
- Exemplify leadership in advancing U.S. dairy exports.
- Demonstrate a commitment to export market development.
- Make exports an integral part of its overall growth strategy.
Dairy Foods magazine makes the decision, in consultation with USDEC. Applications come from exporting companies asking for consideration or by observers who think the company is worthy of the honor.
Geographically positioned
DairyAmerica was established in 1995 by Danish Creamery, Dairymen's Cooperative Creamery Association and California Milk Producers to manage the sales and marketing of nonfat and skim milk powders.
Today, DairyAmerica is made up of three member dairy cooperatives in geographically strategic locations. They are Agri-Mark (New England), California Dairies (West Coast) and O-AT-KA Milk (East Coast).
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