Wisconsin Ag Connection - Doyle Announces Value Added Dairy Initiative Grants

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Doyle Announces Value Added Dairy Initiative Grants
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 12/24/2008

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle announced that nine state dairy entrepreneurs and agribusiness leaders have been awarded more than $121,000 in this year's second round of Value Added Dairy Initiative Dairy processor grants. The program offers funding to individuals or groups, businesses and organizations to help fund projects geared at innovation, market development and modernization of dairy processing.

"Despite the national economic downturn, it's important we continue to invest in innovative companies like these that are working to create the jobs of the future," Governor Doyle said. "The dairy industry is a cornerstone of Wisconsin's economy and these companies are great leaders in this important sector."

Recipients include:

** Grassland Dairy Products Inc., Greenwood $10,750 - developing a specialty butter that will take the company to a new market segment. The goal is to grow to a national brand with potential to expand to the international marketplace.

** Hidden Springs Creamery, Westby $12,500 - Hidden Springs will unveil a new expanded line of specialty cheese and milk, and modernize marketing techniques, including improving its internet presence, to reach the target market.

** LaClare Farm, Chilton $15,000 - This dairy goat operation is working with a local farmstead dairy to create a high-end artisan aged raw milk cheese exclusively from LaClare Farm goat milk.

** Meister Cheese Co. LLC, Muscoda, $20,000 - Meister Cheese is modernizing an existing plant to compete with the technology standards of industry to guarantee consistency and make operations easier.

** Nordic Creamery, Westby, $12,500 - Having won numerous national and international awards for high-quality products, Nordic Creamery plans to expand its marketing efforts to include direct to consumer in-store demonstrations to improve market demand.

** Snack Patrol LLC, Glendale, $9,500 - Snack Patrol is working with a farmstead dairy to produce an innovative product, cheese jerky, combining farmstead cheese with quality jerky.

** UW Provision Co., Middleton, $16,750 - UW Provision is teaming up with the non-profit REAP (Research, Education, Action and Policy) Food Group to develop a local food distribution network. This part of their project will allow local dairy manufacturers to use the network to distribute their products with the help of a merchandiser to stock and deliver.

** Winona Foods, Green Bay, $9,500 - Winona Foods intends to improve market placement of its Alejandro Cheese Products, which use a patented inverted squeeze bottle, focusing on competing in the ethnic marketplace nationwide.

** Wisconsin Specialty Protein LLC, Reedsburg $15,000 - Wisconsin Specialty Protein will be the first company dedicated to specialty whey processing. This project will allow modernizing facilities in order to segregate whey concentrate in types such as organic, grass-fed and goat whey.

Since its start-up in April 2004, the Value Added Dairy Initiative Dairy processor program has administered $3.18 million in grants to 315 producers, processors and local dairy groups. Details on the request for grant proposals and application materials are available by calling 608-224-5115 or 608-224-5136.

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