Throughout 2025, Midwest Dairy hit the road to meet with processors across our region to learn, explore, and discuss opportunities for collaboration to bring dairy foods and ingredients to new places. At the same time, Midwest Dairy was also reaching out to foodservice partners across the region to explore opportunities to expand menus, innovate, and increase traffic through their doors to impact dairy sales. Through this exploration and learning, Midwest Dairy uncovered a unique opportunity to serve as a convener between the processor and foodservice partner.
Dedicated Processor Webpage
Midwest Dairy quickly took action to initiate two new initiatives in 2025. The first was a dedicated processor webpage on MidwestDairy.com that helps to link the capabilities and offerings of our regional processor community with partners across the 10-state region.
Culinary Culture
In 2025, Midwest Dairy engaged the expertise of Culinary Culture with the processor pilot group to better connect dairy processors across our footprint with foodservice opportunities. Midwest Dairy, Culinary Culture, and the processors who have agreed to be part of this initiative met to discuss the processors’ business goals, capabilities, and strategic opportunities to help identify spaces in which we can, as a team, get delicious dairy products into the hands of consumers. Through these exploration conversations, this team of chefs got familiar with processors and their unique offerings in Midwest Dairy’s footprint. This joint effort has opened the door to new conversations, helped processors think differently about where their products can play in the foodservice landscape to impact sales, and supported broader efforts to grow dairy’s role on menus throughout the Midwest and beyond.
The Future is Bright
This partnership has created opportunities for education and engagement, whether through workshops, presentations, or customized conversations tailored to processor needs. The goal has remained consistent: to equip processors with knowledge they can take to market, strengthen their customer relationships, and ultimately drive demand for dairy.
While Midwest Dairy remains committed to the short-term incremental sales lift in the marketplace, being at the table offering insights, an expanded network, and discussing menu innovation will lead to long-term sales growth goals and the opportunity to inspire a catalytic impact.
As the foodservice landscape continues to evolve, Midwest Dairy and Culinary Culture remain aligned in supporting processors. By working together, we’re helping to ensure that dairy remains relevant, innovative, and essential across menus today and into the future.