VISALIA, CALIF. — California Dairies, Inc. (CDI) president and chief executive officer Brad Anderson plans to retire at the end of 2025, and the farmer-owned dairy processing cooperative announced its board of directors selected chief operating officer Rob Vandenheuvel as Anderson’s successor.

Vandenheuvel is set to become CDI’s president and CEO on Jan. 1, 2026.

The dairy cooperative credited Anderson with making significant contributions to not only CDI, but also the entire dairy industry.

“Brad’s legacy is one of transformation,” California Dairies chairman of the board Cory Vanderham said. “He inspired a culture of innovation that led to the expansion of product lines, including lactoferrin and our Valley Natural Beverages UHT (ultra high temperature) and ESL (extended shelf life) production facility. We are grateful for his leadership.”

In 2018, Anderson initially joined CDI as its COO, before being promoted to president and CEO in 2020. The company noted it “achieved significant transformation and innovation” during Anderson’s tenure.

CDI shared that Anderson’s accomplishments included overseeing the construction of a processing facility in Bakersfield, Calif., expanding the cooperative’s manufacturing footprint into UHT and ESL products, and optimizing operations through restructuring the organization into global business groups to better serve domestic and international markets. Furthermore, CDI attributed its product portfolio’s growth to Anderson, pointing to the introduction of lactoferrin production.

During his career in dairy, CDI noted Anderson also took on roles with the Innovation Center for US Dairy, National Milk Producers Federation and US Dairy Export Council. He worked as chair of the Innovation Center’s Stewardship Commitment Taskforce and CEO Taskforce on Greenhouse Gas Reporting.

CDI said Anderson will work closely with Vandenheuvel in the months ahead, as the organization transitions to a new leader.

Vandenheuvel, who grew up on a California dairy farm, first began working for CDI in 2017. The cooperative said since then he “consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership across various areas, including member and industry relations, supply chain, operations, and sales.” CDI said he served on its leadership team the past eight years in progressively more prominent roles.

“I am deeply honored to be entrusted with the leadership of this incredible cooperative,” Vandenheuvel said. “I’m excited to build upon the strong foundation laid by Brad and work alongside our dedicated team to serve our members and customers.”