The Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA), a partnership between the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) and the Center for Dairy Research (CDR) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison today announced the 31 companies and cooperatives that have been selected to receive Dairy Business Builder grants totaling nearly $2.5 million.
The Dairy Business Builder grant program aims to encourage small- to medium-sized dairy farmers, entrepreneurs, and processors in the Midwest to pursue innovative projects such as dairy farm diversification, on-farm processing, value-added product creation, and efforts to market dairy products for export. Reimbursement grants of up to $100,000 each are awarded following a competitive review process.
“Amid robust competition from across the Midwest, these projects stood out for their ambitious, distinctive approaches to adding value from farm to vat. We’re thrilled to support dairy innovation today and in the future,” said John Umhoefer, WCMA Executive Director.
Companies and cooperatives receiving Dairy Business Builder Grants from Wisconsin are:
Alpinage Cheese LLC - Oak Creek, Wisconsin
Augment LLC - Madison, Wisconsin
Comstock Cheese LLC - Comstock, Wisconsin
Copper Crow Distillery - Bayfield, Wisconsin
Gardner's Wisconsin Cheese, LLC - Marshfield, Wisconsin
Highfield Farm Creamery - Walworth, Wisconsin
Pine River Pre-Pack, Inc. - Newton, Wisconsin
Specialty Cheese Co. Inc. - Reeseville, Wisconsin
Wisconsin Dairy State Cheese Company - Rudolph, Wisconsin
The DBIA is supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Categories: Wisconsin, Livestock, Dairy Cattle