10/15/07 Darigold U.S. Dairy Exporter of the Year

Washington Ag October 15, 2007 Seattle headquartered Darigold Inc has been named the 2007 Dairy Exporter of the Year by Dairyfield and the U.S. Dairy Export Council or USDEC. Carey: "We were surprised, but honored to receive the award. Darigold as a company has been in the export market actually since the 1920s in exporting dairy ingredients to China, Southeast Asia and Mexico." That's Dermot Carey, Darigold's Vice President of Ingredient Marketing, who says his company was a founding member of USDEC and believes strongly in the cooperative effort to build U.S. dairy exports worldwide. Carey: "That's a great resource to have that we as a company couldn't really support on our own globally. So, both the in-country presence and just overall market information gathering are some of the programs we use within USDEC." Carey says Darigold believes dairy export markets require a long-term commitment to being a reliable supplier, an effort that is paying off. Carey: "So we see tremendous growth opportunities for U.S. milk solids exports to regions globally like China, Southeast Asia, South America, and now even the Middle East. But again it's going to require the long term commitment, because those customers in those markets want to know you're there for the long term." On a milks solids basis, 9.3 percent of U.S. dairy production is exported. I'm Bob Hoff.