Dairy Processing - March/April 2024 - 68

ASSOCIATION INSIGHTS
sparking
entrepreneurial spirit
by Marla Buerk | Dairy Management Inc.
T
he checkoff has led dairy innovation through powerful
foodservice partnerships for many years.
The Domino's American Legends line of specialty
pizza comes to mind. It's a concept that ignited the company's
business model by making cheese its key focus. Or the
McDonald's McCafé menu that has about 90% of its coffee
and frozen drinks containing dairy. And if you haven't tried
the checkoff-led Grilled Cheese Burrito at Taco Bell, I highly
recommend it. It uses more than 10 times the amount of
cheese than the chain's regular crunchy taco.
But it takes companies of all sizes to drive innovation.
It isn't just the big players who can find success giving
customers new ways to enjoy dairy. Innovation can strike
anywhere and from anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit.
This was the inspiration for Dairy Management Inc.
(DMI) launching www.InnovateWithDairy.com. This dairyfocused
resource was created by a team of checkoff staff
and contractors who bring more than 100 years of innovation
experience to the table.
The tool is a one-stop shop that walks entrepreneurs
through every step of the process. Ultimately, we want to help
them move faster and more efficiently in their quest to get
new dairy products to the finish line.
When they win, the dairy category wins.
POWERHOUSE CATEGORY
Dairy is ripe for innovation, and the entrepreneurs see the
same thing we do. Dairy is a powerhouse category with more
68 MAR-APR 2024 | DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
than 96% of US households purchasing it. We are the largest
food aisle at retail with the largest growth. In fact, dairy is
bigger than the snacking and carbonated soft drink aisles.
But when we speak with entrepreneurs who want to
break through with dairy, they don't always know where to
go and whom to call. And honestly, our industry hasn't always
had the support system in place to help them.
Our InnovateWithDairy tool can change the game. Here
are some specific aspects it offers:
* Idea development - Identifying the growth
opportunity and developing the idea. This phase
includes guidance on assessing technical and
financial feasibilities.
* Product development - Developing the product,
its name and what you need from a trademarking
standpoint. There is assistance on package structure,
graphics and finalizing the financial assessment.
* Product launch - Taking the product to market with
a promotional and financing plan. This includes ideas
and templates on how to approach investors and
eventually monitoring market results.
The site includes more than 250 vetted resources, including
many leading researchers and professors who comprise the
Dairy Foods Research Centers network. The dairy checkoff
created this network more than 35 years ago to provide sciencebacked
solutions related to processing, technology, food quality
and safety, ingredients, and other areas. It includes six regionally
based centers that represent more than 20 universities.
Marla Buerk,
executive vice president of
innovation, Dairy Management Inc.
Dairy checkoff creates new tool to help companies drive innovation.
http://www.InnovateWithDairy.com http://www.DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
Dairy Processing - March/April 2024

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