Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) has announced a new dairy ingredients division.
“Ingredients is a growth area with real potential, which is why DFA management and the Board are dedicating more resources to it,” says Mark Korsmeyer, president of DFA’s Dairy Food Products. “This new division will better allow us to meet the growing demands of our customers both domestically and internationally.”
According to Korsmeyer, dairy is no longer simply a domestic product. Ingredients like cheese powders, condensed whole and skim milk, dairy flavors and casein are used in a variety of products around the world, including baby formula, ice cream and flavored dairy beverages. Already a manufacturer of these ingredients, DFA is in a position to strengthen its role in the ingredients arena.
At the helm of the new division will be Chief Operating Officer Art Farris. Farris currently serves as executive vice president of DFA’s Dairy Food Products. He has been with DFA and its predecessor cooperative, Mid-America Dairymen, Inc., for 29 years. Farris will be responsible for driving strategic and operational initiatives for the newly formed ingredients division, in addition to continuing strategic and operational oversight for the contract manufacturing division.
Other positions in the new division include Tim Opper as vice president, ingredients manufacturing; Lavonne Dietrich, vice president of sales and marketing for DFA International and Ingredient sales; and Rusty Golliher as director, engineering.