The checkoff has led dairy innovation through powerful foodservice partnerships for many years.

The Domino’s American Legends line of specialty pizza comes to mind. It’s a concept that ignited the company’s business model by making cheese its key focus. Or the McDonald’s McCafé menu that has about 90% of its coffee and frozen drinks containing dairy. And if you haven’t tried the checkoff-led Grilled Cheese Burrito at Taco Bell, I highly recommend it. It uses more than 10 times the amount of cheese than the chain’s regular crunchy taco.

But it takes companies of all sizes to drive innovation. It isn’t just the big players who can find success giving customers new ways to enjoy dairy. Innovation can strike anywhere and from anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit.

This was the inspiration for Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) launching www.InnovateWithDairy.com. This dairy-focused resource was created by a team of checkoff staff and contractors who bring more than 100 years of innovation experience to the table.

The tool is a one-stop shop that walks entrepreneurs through every step of the process. Ultimately, we want to help them move faster and more efficiently in their quest to get new dairy products to the finish line.

When they win, the dairy category wins.

Powerhouse category

Dairy is ripe for innovation, and the entrepreneurs see the same thing we do. Dairy is a powerhouse category with more than 96% of US households purchasing it. We are the largest food aisle at retail with the largest growth. In fact, dairy is bigger than the snacking and carbonated soft drink aisles.

But when we speak with entrepreneurs who want to break through with dairy, they don’t always know where to go and whom to call. And honestly, our industry hasn’t always had the support system in place to help them.

Our InnovateWithDairy tool can change the game. Here are some specific aspects it offers:

• Idea development – Identifying the growth opportunity and developing the idea. This phase includes guidance on assessing technical and financial feasibilities.

• Product development – Developing the product, its name and what you need from a trademarking standpoint. There is assistance on package structure, graphics and finalizing the financial assessment.

• Product launch – Taking the product to market with a promotional and financing plan. This includes ideas and templates on how to approach investors and eventually monitoring market results.

The site includes more than 250 vetted resources, including many leading researchers and professors who comprise the Dairy Foods Research Centers network. The dairy checkoff created this network more than 35 years ago to provide science-backed solutions related to processing, technology, food quality and safety, ingredients, and other areas. It includes six regionally based centers that represent more than 20 universities.

We know many entrepreneurs are students attending these universities and studying fields such as food science and product development. These students are learning from top professors and their fresh thinking and energy can be a jolt to the dairy industry.

Spreading the word

My checkoff colleagues and I are committed to making sure we get the word out about this tool so entrepreneurs know they have a go-to resource with the dairy checkoff.

We did this at the recent Natural Products Expo West event in Anaheim, Calif. This is the country’s leading trade show in the natural, organic and healthy products industry, and it was the dairy checkoff’s first time there. The event didn’t disappoint, as we had the opportunity to be in front of more than 70,000 entrepreneurs, investors and others seeking to grow their food and beverage businesses.

At our booth, we showcased the many ways innovation already is occurring, with products to inspire attendees and show them what is possible with dairy. Some examples of those innovations included:

• Dairy-based creamers made with only five simple ingredients and no oils or fillers

• Lactose-free, ultra-filtered milk with more protein and less sugar

• New super premium ice cream featuring crunchy cookies and crumbles

• Tonic featuring protein and probiotics from fresh, upcycled whey

Brian Fiscalini, chief executive officer, Fiscalini Farmstead, was also there to talk about dairy sustainability, a topic of high interest with entrepreneurs.

One other key part of Expo West was an education session we led to share insights from a study of 12,000 US consumers. The results of this checkoff-led work found more than 50% of participants are dissatisfied with the food and beverages they consume for health and wellness needs.

We’re talking about a $350 billion category where more than half of the people we surveyed are dissatisfied. This opens a big door for dairy and entrepreneurs seeking to meet their needs.

It goes without saying how critical innovation is to keep US dairy relevant and on trend with today’s ever-changing consumer base.

Our digital resource tool is a great step to assuring we can help make that happen with innovative-thinking entrepreneurs.

To learn more about your national dairy checkoff, visit www.usdairy.com/for-farmers or to reach us directly, send an email to TalkToTheCheckoff@dairy.org. 

– Dairy Management, Inc., Rosemont, Ill., is an American trade association dedicated to promoting the sale of American-made dairy products. Marla Buerk is DMI's executive vice president of innovation.