One of the best parts of working in the dairy industry is sampling cheese, ice cream, milk and my favorite, yogurt from different areas. Flavors may change geographically, but the passion and hard work behind our go-to dairy products are universal. I believe tasting food is the best way to understand the people and the new environment. The range of dairy products and innovation behind the tastes reflects the time and energy of the dedicated people. When I visit a new plant or dairy farm, I make sure to stop by the store to check out the local favorite dairy foods. This ritual has brought many surprises from coffee-flavored yogurt, parmesan dotted with salt granules, charcoal flavored ice cream to yogurt cultured with kefir korn. Dairy is a staple and a sense of pride in any good convenience store.

As I go from the store to the dairy plant- there are just as many changes that reflect the environment and people. From the receiving area where some trucks have automated samplers and others have haulers climbing on top. Even the names for these processing facilities change from plants, factories to dairies. Some have large silos as you enter, while others unload directly into lines that immediately shape the raw milk into the dairy products we love.

One plant I enjoy visiting has one receiving area for two processing facilities- one side is a cheese plant and the other is whey processing. Both are connected by a line to move the product from one plant to the other. This system is built on trust. There are no third-party hauling companies to turn to, just a permanent line that connects the two plants. Having space to build this type of infrastructure helps, but more importantly there is a good Quality system. The Quality departments monitor the data collected off the line and can be confident in the samples between the two plants. Confidence in the sample pulled off the line is key to building trust for all stakeholders involved no matter where they are in the process, especially important in receiving. Seeing how innovative dairy leaders are, from designing receiving areas to developing unique flavors, it makes you wonder how sharing more solutions could help make an even more dynamic industry.

By Anne Bigalke
VP of International Markets, QualiTru Sampling Systems
anne@qualitru.com   Follow Anne on LinkedIn