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October 7, 2024
APPLETON – Lamers Dairy’s “Dairyland’s Best” brand is again being recognized at an industry level – taking home two first-place awards in the World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest.
“I think it’s important that if you are going to declare you are Dairyland’s best, there’s some proof behind it,” Eric McGuire, vice president of business operations at Lamers Dairy, said. “We have customers consistently tell us how good our milk is, and how the flavors are just different from other types of milk. So, it’s nice to have the industry recognize that.”
Lamers Dairy Dairyland’s Best 1% Lowfat Chocolate Milk scored a 99.88 to secure the first place recognition in the Lowfat Chocolate Milk (1%) category.
McGuire said Lamers Dairy is the only Wisconsin-based brand to rank in the top three in this product category with the second-place winner in California and the third-place winner in Iowa.
The Appleton-based Class 1 dairy plant also received a 99.81 score for its whole white milk in the Open Class Pasteurized Milk class to take home the top place in this category.
“We were up against a lot of different entries into that category,” McGuire said. “When you get a score that high, it’s really indicative of the high quality of the milk coming right off the farms. Again, Lamers Dairy is the only Wisconsin dairy processor in this class – beating out processing companies in Indiana and Pennsylvania.”
McGuire said Lamers entered the contest to get feedback from experts in the dairy industry and “to see how we stack up against our competition.”
“Being the dairy state, we want to make sure that we’re producing the highest-quality dairy products,” he said. “I think it reflects both the State of Wisconsin and Northeast Wisconsin, in general, that we have got some really dedicated folks who are producing high-quality milk at the farm level. And then, of course, we’re extremely proud of our team – just the dedication that they put into their craft as well. “
World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Products
Hosted by the Wisconsin Dairy Products Association (WDPA) and now in its 21st year, the World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Products contest recognizes 93 classes of dairy, bringing together the best of the best among milk, cheese, butter, ice cream and more.
According to the WDPA’s website (wdpa.net), each entry is carefully judged by a panel of dairy experts to showcase the finest products and craftsmanship in the industry.
Amy Winters, executive director of the WDPA, said the event is a reflection of the passion and hard work that defines the industry.
“We are honored to host a platform that recognizes and celebrates the outstanding achievements of dairy processors from around the globe,” she said.
As the overall industry sees a decrease in fluid dairy consumption, McGuire said contests like WDPA’s product championship serve as a good reminder of the high-quality products on the marketplace.
“I think they do a good job highlighting exactly what the processors are doing out there,” he said.
Taking home two first-place awards at the contest, McGuire said affirms Lamers Dairy’s commitment to quality.
“It is something that we feel like we’re doing the best that we can, and we’re always striving for excellence in our products,” he said. “It’s nice to get some confirmation that we’re achieving some of those goals. We’ve got a great group of farmers and a great group of employees that can be really proud of what they do and continue to do it for a long time.”
Focused on tradition
Though the business has changed over the years – transitioning from its early days as a self-sourced operation to an out-sourced one – McGuire said Lamers Dairy’s commitment to sourcing the best milk has not.
“We have five local patron farmers who we pick milk up from 365 days a year,” he said. “They’re all very small, independent family dairy farms all located within 30 miles of Lamers Dairy.”
This partnership, McGuire said, ensures both the quality and freshness of the milk and a low carbon footprint.
“One of the things that’s important to us is maintaining those long-lasting relationships with the smaller farms,” he said. “Many of them are actually a little bit on the younger side of things – so that bodes well for the future of farming in Northeast Wisconsin.”
As a Class 1 dairy plant, McGuire said Lamers Dairy processes fluid dairy.
“We offer milk in lots of different packaging sizes – from the traditional gallons and half gallons, pints and quarts,” he said. “We also do the half-pint size that people are familiar with as school milk.”
Lamers Dairy, McGuire said, is also one of only a handful of companies that still have glass bottles – and the only one in the Badger State.
“Our biggest claim to fame is our glass bottle line,” he said.
Contributing to that focus on lowering its carbon footprint, McGuire said the glass bottles are returnable – “it doesn’t need to be recycled and it stays out of the landfill.”
“A lot of customers will tell you with the glass packaging, the milk tastes better,” he said. “Glass acts as an insulator and does a better job at keeping the product cold, contains the product’s integrity better and contributes to a better, cleaner taste.”
Award winning
McGuire said this isn’t the first time Lamers Dairy has been recognized in the industry for its products.
Some of the other awards Lamers has received in the past decade-plus, include:
- 2024 Fluid Milk Grand Champion, first place 2% White Milk and 1% Lowfat Chocolate Milk, second place Whole White Milk and Whole Chocolate Milk (Wisconsin State Fair Blue Ribbon Dairy Products Contest)
- 2023 – first place 2% White Milk and third place 1% Chocolate Milk (Wisconsin State Fair Blue Ribbon Dairy Products Contest)
- 2022 – first place 1% Chocolate Milk, second place 2% White Milk and third place Heavy Whipping Cream (World Dairy Expo)
- 2021 – first place Whole White Milk, first place Heavy Whipping Cream and second place 1% Chocolate Milk (World Dairy Expo)
- 2012 – first place 2% White Milk and first place 1% Chocolate Milk (Wisconsin State Fair Blue Ribbon Dairy Products Contest)
- 2019 – first place 1% Chocolate Milk and first place Half and Half (World Dairy Expo); second place 2% White Milk (Wisconsin State Fair Blue Ribbon Dairy Products Contest)
- 2016 – first place Whole Chocolate Milk (World Dairy Expo)
- 2015 – first place Whole Chocolate Milk (World Dairy Expo)
- 2014 – Gold for 2% White Milk, Gold for 2% White Kosher Milk and Gold for 1% Lowfat
- Chocolate Milk (Los Angeles International Dairy Competition)
- 2013 – first place 2% White Milk and second place 1% Lowfat Chocolate Milk (World Dairy Expo)
