EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The 2022 World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product
Contest just wrapped up, and the results are in. With a record number of entries from over 80 dairy companies,
Prairie Farms Dairy and its family of companies received more awards than any other company, making Prairie Farms the reigning contest champion. The final tally came in at 44 awards with 12 first-place wins, 11 secondplace wins, 19 third-place wins, 1 Grand Champion win, and sweeping wins in several categories.
Prairie Farms was unstoppable in four categories, claiming all top spots:
- Regular Cottage Cheese Awards: 1st Prairie Farms Quincy, Ill; 2nd Prairie Farms Fort Wayne, Ind., 3rd Prairie Farms Quincy, Ill.
- Lowfat Cottage Cheese Awards: 1st Prairie Farms Quincy, Ill., 2nd Belfonte, Kansas City, Mo., 3rd Prairie Farms, Carbondale, Ill.
- Blueberry Yogurt Category Awards: 1st Hiland Dairy, Wichita, Kan., 2nd Belfonte, Kansas City, Mo., 3rd Prairie Farms, Quincy, Ill.
- Open Class Pasteurized Milk Awards: 1st Prairie Farms, Holland, Ind., 2nd Hiland Dairy, Omaha, Neb., 3rd Prairie Farms, Anderson, Ind.
Hiland Dairy’s Chandler, Oklahoma plant received the Grade A Grand Champion Award for its French Onion Dip. Other category wins included 15 fluid milk awards, 6 cheese awards, 6 cottage cheese awards, 6 yogurt awards, 3 sour cream dip awards, 4 whipping cream/half & half awards, 2 sour cream awards, and 1 ice cream award.
“We are honored to receive the awards. They validate our commitment to our farmer-owners to turn their highquality milk into the finest dairy products available,” said Rebecca Leinenbach, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Prairie Farms. “Our success as this year’s WDE top winning company demonstrates the strength of our farm-to-table network and the hard work of our farm families and team members. Once again, their effort delivered significant contest results, and we couldn’t be more proud.”
The WDE Championship Dairy Product Contest is one of the country’s most prestigious dairy judging competitions held in the heart of dairy country, Madison, Wisconsin. Judges spent three days sampling and tasting a variety of dairy products, with winners gaining the right to declare themselves among the best in North America. A record 1,560 entries were submitted to this year’s contest.
Find the complete list of awards, along with descriptions and scores at: prairiefarms.com/drinklocal
The World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest is sponsored by the Wisconsin Dairy Products Association. Over 1,500 product entries from across the country competed in 90 contest classes, including cheese, fluid milk, yogurt, butter, sour cream, dairy dips, ice cream, cottage cheese, and whey products. An awards ceremony will be held at the World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest Auction on October 4, 2022. A portion of the proceeds from the contest auction will be used to fund scholarships awarded annually to deserving students pursuing careers in the dairy industry.
Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful dairy cooperatives operating in the
Midwest and the South. Elements of the cooperative include more than 700 farm families, 7,000 team members, 47 manufacturing plants, over 100 distribution facilities, and annual sales of over $3.6 billion. Prairie Farms is a nationally recognized leader in the dairy industry known for setting the standard for milk flavor innovations and producing award-winning milk, cheese, and cultured dairy products. With headquarters in Edwardsville, Ill., the Prairie Farms distribution footprint covers over 30 percent of the United States; products are available in grocery chains, mass merchandiser stores, club stores, convenience stores, dollar stores, drug stores, schools, foodservice outlets, and warehouse distribution centers. Prairie Farms’ charitable giving program, Our Caps or Your Receipt, Your Cause, supports a variety of non-profit organizations.
