Let’s Talk Dairy

An Ho, director of food science and product innovation, at International Food Products (IFPC) joins Dairy Foods for Episode 34 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast. Ho’s credentials include a bachelor of science in Food Science and Human Nutrition from the University of Missouri-Colombia and a master’s in business administration in management and marketing from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. ...

Dairy Foods Multimedia Specialist Brett Parker sits down with Katey Evans, The Founder of Frozen Farmer, as we discuss their Elf on the Shelf Santa's Cookies Ice Cream, a tasty new product ready to roll for the holiday season. Frozen Farmer is using warm holiday nostalgia for the classic Elf on The Shelf toy to create an ice cream and ice cream sandwich product that not only treats consumers to a...

In Episode 33 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy Podcast,” Muriel Acat-Vergnet, president and CEO; Juan Felipe Rivera Carreno, manager of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); and Julie Pickette, marketing services manager for PROVA Inc., discuss ethically sourced ingredients and sustainability at the Montreuil, Ile-de-France, France-headquartered company. Read More

In episode 32 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast, Ryan Gillespie, vice president of marketing at Plymouth, Wis.-based Sartori Cheese, discusses food service and retail.  Gillespie leads Sartori’s marketing, innovation, and export sales. He joined Sartori in 2010. Gillespie held progressive roles supporting growth and innovation across Sartori’s retail and food service segments before joining the co...

Adam Gurga, national manager of grocery and retail partnerships at Alpharetta, Ga.-based  Cimcorp, a pioneer of intralogistics automation that specializes in fresh food handling and tire-handling solutions, joins Dairy Foods for Episode 31 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast to offer insights on technology, automation, and AI. Read More

Tomas Vera, regional director for Europe and the Americas for MADCAP, a product developed by Contec Group, a New Zealand-based company that designs, builds and delivers smart supply chain technology for the global dairy industry, joins us for Episode 30 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast to talk about dairy logistics. Read More

PACK EXPO, the most comprehensive packaging and processing event in North America, is set to return to the Las Vegas Convention Center from Sept. 11 to 13. Produced by PMMI, the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, the show is intended for anyone who is involved in the challenging environment of packaging and processing. Read More

Julian Stauffer, CEO of Waldner North America and Surdry North America, joins us for Episode 29 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast. Waldner is a German manufacturer of highly automated packaging machinery, while Surdry is a Spanish manufacturer of food retort sterilization systems. Read More

In this special edition of the Let’s Talk Dairy podcast, joining us is Joel Fischer, lab manager at AMETEK MOCON, discussing the importance of package testing. Fischer has been in the package testing industry for decades. He is the manager of the world’s largest permeation testing lab at AMETEK MOCON. He is passionate about finding solutions for customers and learning new things about his industry...

Chef Jason Hernandez of Blade & Tine Culinary Consultants explains how to create a Non-Traditional Charcuterie Board. We discuss what exactly constitutes a Charcuterie Board, how different geographical regions can influence different kinds of boards, and some of the most unorthodox foods he's seen displayed on a board. Read More

Keith Schuman, business unit lead at Schuman Cheese, Fairfield, N.J., joins us for Episode 28 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast to talk about animal-free dairy. As a fourth-generation member of a family known worldwide, Schuman knows a thing or two about cheese and about honoring his family legacy. Read More

Tony Rice, trade policy manager for the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), joins us for Episode 27 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast, where he discusses supply chain challenges.  Read More

Ryan Crandall, chief revenue officer at Norwood, Mass.-based MariMed, joins us for Episode 26 of our “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast.  In his role, Crandall oversees all revenue generation, marketing, product development and distribution for the company. Under his leadership, MariMed has developed a portfolio of award-winning and top-selling brands that meet the needs of cannabis consumers across a wid...

Tom Newmaster, principal owner of FORCEpkg, joins us for Episode 25 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast. Newmaster has more than 25 years of experience in consumer packaged goods (CPG) branding and package design. From 1998 to 2016, he was a principal and co-owner of WFM. Over the past three years, Newmaster’s has overseen the launch of FORCEpkg, a branding and packaging design firm headquartered in...

Miguel Freitas, Ph. D.,  one of the world’s leading experts on the complex interactions between probiotics, the gut and the microbiota, and vice president of scientific affairs at White Plains, N.Y.-based Danone North America, joins Dairy Foods for Episode 24 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast to discuss dairy and health and wellness.  Read More

Heather Anfang, senior vice president for U.S. Dairy at Arden Hills, Minn.-based Land O’Lakes Inc., joins us for a special edition of our “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast we are presenting exclusively online.  Anfang oversees strategic and commercial activities in Land O’Lakes’ Dairy Retail and Foodservice businesses, partners to drive overall brand health, and encourages the continued engagement and de...

Michelle Purvis, senior vice president of human resources at Chicago-based Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), joins us for Episode 23 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast to discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). DMI, with its related organizations, works to increase sales and demand for dairy through research, education, and innovation, and to maintain confidence in dairy foods, farms, and busine...

Samuel Alcaine, Ph. D., director of the Northeast Dairy Foods Research Center and an associate professor in the Food Science Department at Cornell University; Julia Somerdin of Labby Inc.; and Jenn Smith, director of Cornell University’s Grow-NY program, join us for Episode 22 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast.  Dr. Samuel Alcaine’s areas of expertise are dairy microbiology, brewing, food safety,...

Blake Waltrip, CEO of a2 Milk, joins us for Episode 21 of our “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast. Waltrip joined the company in May 2016, assuming the role of chief executive of the USA region, which is headquartered in Boulder, Colo. He is responsible for leading its Northern American liquid milk business as well as managing a2’s supply chain partnerships and performance for this region. Waltrip has a st...

Julie Smolyansky, CEO of Morton Grove, Ill.-based Lifeway Foods, joins us for Episode 20 of our “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast. At the age of 27, Smolyansky became the youngest female CEO of a publicly held firm when she began leading Lifeway Foods in 2002. Since then, Smolyansky has continued the company’s growth trajectory with creative product development and marketing to bring kefir, the company’s...

Tim Doelman, CEO of Chicago-based fairlife LLC, joins us for episode 19 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast to discuss challenges associated with sugar reduction. Doelman has spent more than 25 years in the dairy industry, leading companies, developing products and leveraging technologies to strengthen the nutritional value of dairy while maintaining its natural integrity. Doelman comes from a famil...

Jenna Evans, global sustainability manager for South Burlington, Vt.-based Ben & Jerry’s, joins us for episode 18 of the Let’s Talk Dairy podcast to discuss sustainability. At Ben & Jerry’s, Evans is responsible for climate strategy and sustainable packaging. She is leading a pilot program to cut dairy farm GHG emissions in half by 2024. Just after joining the company in 2018, she managed...

Derek Neeley, vice president of marketing for Family and Wellness Brands at Danone North America, White Plains, N.Y., and Broomfield Colo.,  joins us for Episode 17 of our “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast. He talks about trends in immunity and the importance of gut health and the company’s newest RTD product, Activia+ multi-benefit probiotic yogurt drinks. Read More

Doug Dresslaer, director of cultural innovation for Kansas City, Kan.-based Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), joins us for Episode 16 of the Let’s Talk Dairy podcast to talk about the DFA CoLab Accelerator. Read More

Michelle McBride, founder & CEO of GoodSport Nutrition, joins us for Episode 15 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast.  Read More