Cheese Reporter

Congratulations to Dale Gifford for his induction into the Idaho Milk Processors Association (IMPA) Hall of Fame. Gifford, who retired after a 45-year career in the industry in 2021, received the honor before attendees of the IMPA’s annual conference. Gifford began his career at Kraft Foods, Rupert, ID, in the mid-1970s. Introducing Gifford was Tom Murphy, president of Brewster Cheese. According to Murphy, Gifford worked his way up through the Kraft ranks, getting to run the full operation as plant superintendent. After a stint at Kraft’s cream cheese operation in Beaver Dam, WI, Gifford moved back to Idaho and began working in Kraft’s Carey, ID, plant and becoming Kraft’s youngest plant manager at just 29 years old. Gifford helped renovate the Blackfoot, ID, operation, converting the plant into a Parmesan operation. After that successful conversion, Kraft moved Gifford to the Tulare, CA, operation. In 2009, Gifford left Kraft Foods and retired. However, Gifford was convinced to come out of retirement to help Murphy at Brewster Cheese. Gifford has served two terms as president of the IMPA, and multiple terms as a board member of the association. “When you talk about Gifford, one of the themes is his friends are life-long and the man works,” Murphy said in his induction presentation. “The dairy industry, even though it is so large, it is so tight, and I’ve always found it to be so much fun. It is just like family,” Gifford said. “I appreciate this honor more than you’ll ever realize.” There to help honor Gifford, in the photo, from left to right, are Bill Riebesell of Brewster Cheese; Gifford; and Tom Murphy also of Brewster Cheese.

The 2024 World Dairy Expo (WDE) Championship Dairy Product Contest is being held this week. The WDE contest, sponsored by the Wisconsin Dairy Products Association names three grand champions: a Cheese and Butter grand champion, a Grade A champion, and an Ice Cream grand champion, as well as class winners in over 90 dairy product categories. The Cheese and Butter classes were judged on Tuesday, August 20. Judging the cheese and butter entries were (left to right): Mike Green, Matt Zimbric, Timon Zander, Greg Kinate, Allison Reynolds, Steven Schenkoske, Kory Hyvonen, Shawn Sadler, Scott Navarre, Ben Shibler, Aaron Miller, Gary Gosda, Matthew Siedschlaw, Penny Hydo, Rob Richter, Bill Rufenacht, and Aileen Kacvinsky

Congratulations to Glanbia Nutritionals, Twin Falls, ID, for winning the Grand Champion title in the 28th annual Idaho Milk Processors Association (IMPA) dairy product contest here last week. Matt Cotroneo of Glanbia won the contest with an entry in the medium Cheddar, aged three to six months Class, scoring a 99.03 in the final round of judging, Julie Winans of Novonesis Dairy, and IMPA contest coordinator, commented.  Gossner Foods Inc Foods, Heyburn, ID, was named First Reserve Champion with a Muenster entry in the Washed Curd Class.   Gossner Foods, Logan, UT, won the Second Reserve Champion prize for its entry in the Swiss cheese class. 17 first-place cheeses were auctioned off raising $111,000 for student scholarships, smashing the previous record of $89,750 set in 2023. Buyers of the 17 first-place cheeses included Kelley Supply, Inc.; Evans Grain Feed & Seed; Loos Machine & Automation; Complete Filtration Resources, Inc.; Harry Davis & Company; dsm-firmenich; Nelson-Jameson, Inc; Milk Specialties Global; Advanced Process Technologies Inc. (APT); Chobani; Novonesis; Rocket Industrial; Vanguard Renewables; and Orkin. For more information and the list of winners, visit: https://lnkd.in/gQ8wDApd In the picture: Front row from Glanbia Nutritionals and winners of the IMPA Cheese Contest (left to right) are: Dalibor Bampa, Rudolf Jozelic, and Jerry Jones. Back row and combined buyers of the Glanbia cheese are (left to right): Troy Kilty, Eric Mertens, and Brady Hoes from Loos Machine & Automation; and Shane Wiercinski, John Park, and Tracey Wiercinski from Complete Filtration Resources, Inc. Filtration Resources. Finally, IMPA president, IMPA president Shawn Burton, High Desert Milk and IMPA Contest coordinator, Julie Winans, Novonesis.

The last time 500-pound #cheese barrels were traded at the CME at this high of a level was October 6, 2022, when the price reached the same price of $2.2500. https://lnkd.in/gvc-Rtcy

June 3 Cheese Market Barrels: $1.9600 (+2) Blocks: $1.8900 (+8)

This Week's Cheese Reporter - May 31, 2024

CME cheese prices for 40-pound Cheddar blocks today (May 14) were $1.9300 with 14 carloads traded. CME #cheese prices for 500-pound barrels were $2.0600 with 1 carload traded. The last time barrels reached this high of a price on the CME was November 11, 2022, when the price was $2.0625. https://lnkd.in/gaEgiAUc

Thank you for the generosity and hospitality of Steve Bechel, Mark Dahlstrom, and Bob Greco of Cheese Merchants for allowing Cheese Reporter to visit the two Wisconsin cheese plants the company is currently vertically integrating. This is a great story and a credit to Cheese Merchants' vision. Cheese Merchants is making major investments in two older plants, Eau Galle Cheese Factory Shop and Dairy State Cheese Co., in small communities, expanding employment and keeping nearby area farm families producing quality milk and much more of it. Before the investment, both plants were facing troubling futures. Now with the investments, both plants will double Parmesan production, cheese Cheese Merchants couldn't find on the marketplace. "We want to grow...to do that we have to have a good partnership with the farmers and the entire community," Grecco said. The entire article is attached and also available at https://lnkd.in/gYs5U9Wv.

Congratulations to the dairy products judging team at the University of Tennessee for winning the 100th Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Contest, held recently during CheeseExpo. The Tennessee team of Ploy Wongkeaitaroon, Tyler Douglas, Yuly Ximena Correa González, Laura Lee Parson, Jordan Bowling, and Priya Yogesh Patel captured the all-products team, led by Coach of the Year, Charlie White. Clemson University's Lucy Jeter was the top Cheddar cheese judge, while South Dakota State University's Jessemy Sharp won butter; Tennessee's Patel won Cottage cheese AND Yogurt; Caden Bramstedt of the University of Wisconsin-Madison won Fluid Milk; and Rachel Papa of Clemson took the Ice Cream Class. Please read the attached for all the winners and for the many volunteers who donated their time and whose thanks we owe including Brandon Prochaska, Valerie Stastny, Laura Enriquez; Jackie Seibel, Claire Collins, Ron Thompson, PhD, CFS, PCQI, Matt Buss, Josh Busby, Allison Reynolds, Lydia Meredith, Oliver Janevski, Douglas Allen, Gary Pieper, Hoss Langhoff, Phil Brown, Charles Mack, Jane Zeien, Thomas Gruetzmacher, PhD, Julie Tiatia, Justin Larsen, Derek Janssen, Rebecca Hummel, Don Tribby, Herb Wyckoff, Vanessa Teter, Kevin Harrah, Natasha Scherber, Kurt Everson, Troy Hancock, Dave Hoyda, Tori Boomgaarden, Joseph Loquasto, Chuck Yarris, and certainly many others.

One of the great relationships in the cheese industry is between manufacturer and supplier. And I can't believe any company has had a longer relationship with the industry than Kusel Equipment Co. Kusel is celebrating its 175th year, having conversations with cheese companies and building upon time-tested relationships. How does a company stay around as long as 175 years? David Smith of Kusel will tell you that you keep promises and you build equipment that lasts a lifetime. "The key to any successful relationship is open communication, working together, and delivering on what you have promised. We have built strong relationships with the industry,” Smith said. “We visit our customers and see the same finishing table we sold them back in the 1960s. On one hand, we really would like to help update that equipment but, on the other, we are very proud that it has lasted 60 years.” Cheese Reporter, the junior of the two businesses at its own 149 years in the cheese industry, sat down with Smith, Gene Curtis, and Santino Piazza of Kusel to discuss the company's longevity and continued success. Please read the article and thank Kusel for its service to the cheese industry.