MMPA butter wins awards in North American dairy product contest

MADISON, Wisc. — Butter made in Michigan by farmer-owned Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA) was today awarded top honors from the World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest.

A first-place award was granted to unsalted butter made at MMPA’s dairy plant in Ovid, Michigan. Butter made at MMPA’s dairy plant in Constantine, Michigan also took home a second-place award in salted butter.

“Our award-winning butter is one of MMPA’s signature products made from the high-quality milk from our farmer owners. We are proud of this recognition as it demonstrates the excellence of MMPA products and how our team works tireless to craft them,” Judy Lofgren, MMPA director of sales and supply chain said.

The World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest is the only North American judging contest which encompasses all dairy products. The contest features product classes including cheese, butter, fluid milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, ice cream, cultured milk and dried whey from throughout the United States.

A contest auction of all first-place entries took place during the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin today. As a result of this contest, the Wisconsin Dairy Products Association (WDPA) annually funds scholarships for students preparing for careers in the dairy industry.

MMPA operates two SQF Level 3 dairy ingredient plants in Michigan and a cheese plant in Indiana. In addition to butter, MMPA’s dairy ingredient plants manufacture nonfat dry milk, condensed skim milk, ultra-filtered milk, cream, buttermilk powder, and whole milk powder. MMPA sells its products to food manufacturers who make candy, ice cream, pudding, baked goods, cheese and yogurt.

MMPA is a dairy farmer owned cooperative founded in 1916. MMPA serves dairy farmers in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin, handling approximately 5 billion pounds of milk annually.