As
goes California, so goes the nation. This popular notion in our
country has been true time and time again. As California continues
to grow its capacity to produce high quality milk, the state can
no longer be ignored as the nation's number one dairy producer.
When California took over the lead as the top milk producer, it
was really just a matter of time until it became the top cheese
producer as well. With three "super plants" scheduled to go online
in the next 18 months, that time is just around the corner.
Size does matter. But California has an advantage that transcends
state size. That advantage is average herd size. Many of these
West Coast dairy farms have thousands of head, but even the smaller
ones boast hundreds not dozens like the Midwest. This translates
to "single trip" destinations for the milk pick-up trucks. One
stop per route and straight to the cheese plant. So the "Real
California" difference is freshness.
The recently released "California Dairy Statistics 2000" report
possessed some truly eye-popping numbers. Cheese production in
the state weighed in at a record 1.497 billion pounds, an increase
of 6.6%. California produced better than 1 out of every 6 pounds
nationally. Here is the breakdown by type:
|
Type |
Millions of Lb. |
% of Output |
% Gain |
|
Italian Cheeses |
723.7 |
48.3% |
3.4% |
|
Cheddar |
497.1 |
33.2% |
16.3% |
|
Monterey Jack |
163.3 |
10.9% |
-3.7% |
|
Hispanic |
65.3 |
4.4% |
11.8% |
California
now has over 50 cheesemakers who produce 160 varieties. In addition,
at a recent cheesemakers contest in Green Bay, California producers
won 2 First Place awards, 3 Second Place and 2 Third Place awards.
This is growing proof that California is improving its quality,
not just it's quantity.
In the past few years, several Midwestern cheesemakers have relocated
to California. Their reasons all center on a few key points; high
quality available milk, improved production facilities and lifestyle.
This points to a conclusion that the trend for experienced cheesemakers
favors an influx into California.
It is clear to us at Winona, that an increase in reliance on California
cheese production is a smart way to manage our business. As the
population of the U.S. continues to shift to the South and the
West, California is perfectly positioned to capture even more
of the national business. As the leader in Hispanic cheese production,
this fast growing portion of our nation's population will rely
more and more on California's expertise in this area.
For all of these reasons, we are increasing our commitments to
California cheese plants. As our business has grown, we see the
need to source from multiple geographies. Our strong contacts
in California are your assurance of a future filled with cheese
that is consistent high quality, economically attractive and available.