Dairy is a Powerhouse for Retail
Consumers have a strong interest in the dairy category, and their purchasing habits prove it. Milk has a 92% household penetration rate and drives over 30 annual trips per buyer to the store. Baskets with milk have an average dollar ring of $87.72. Since dairy naturally complements so many other popular categories, such as cereal, crackers, and fruit, it’s not surprising that basket rings are nearly two times higher when dairy is in it!
For grocers, this can mean higher basket rings, higher revenue, and repeat happy customers.
Dairy: It’s in the Numbers
Retailers find success in the dairy case. In fact, data from Circana finds the dairy aisle ranks #1 on dollar sales across all 37 edible aisles at retailers. Not only that, but the volume of value-added milk like lactose-free and organic rose 8.6% and 1.9%, respectively. Consumers understand the delicious health benefits of dairy and fill their carts and baskets with milk, cheese, yogurt, and more!
(Source: Circana Multi Outlet + Conv; Total U.S.; Latest 52 Weeks Ending July 20, 2025)
Dairy – Today and Tomorrow
A Webinar Series by Midwest Dairy
Midwest Dairy uncovers the insights behind consumer trends, the reasons behind these trends and which products support them. Packaged together, research and consumer insights help our partners better understand consumer desires, and how to most effectively meet them.
Going Virtual with Grocery
According to Mintel’s Online Grocery Shopping Study (2024), nearly 54 percent of consumers buy groceries online, bringing dairy to the forefront of the digital shopping space is crucial. Midwest Dairy has partnered with retailers such as Hy-Vee, Cub Foods, Price Chopper, and others to feature dairy digitally across multiple platforms, promoting dairy’s nutrition and sustainability stories to captive audiences.
Midwest Dairy also recognizes the importance of online recipes. In fact, research shows that 91% of consumers use online recipes, with 80% of consumers being inspired to buy a new product or ingredient. We work with and through partners to showcase delicious dairy-filled recipes where consumers want them the most – at their fingertips.
Dairy Resources for Retailers
Midwest Dairy is a brand agnostic checkoff organization funded by dairy farmers. Our primary objective is to grow the entire dairy category by providing shopper insights and research to guide and support retail initiatives such as shelf optimization and shopper marketing programs. Our vision is to bring dairy to life for our partners to continue to drive strong dairy sales.
Research and Trends
We help partners by sharing insights and trends that helps them uncover new opportunities to grow sales of dairy products.
Webinar Series
Join us for quarterly webinars to explore dairy-related topics and learn how to turn these insights into action.
Partner Examples
Want to see what we’ve done in the past? Check out examples of recent dairy retail activations we’ve done!