Swiss Valley Farms Named 2016 Exporter Of The Year

Davenport, IA: Swiss Valley Farms is proud to announce that it is the recipient of the 2016 Tom Camerlo Exporter of the Year Award. This award, which is presented annually to a U.S. dairy supplier that exemplifies leadership in advancing U.S. dairy exports, demonstrates commitment to export market development and makes exports an integral part of its overall growth strategy, is sponsored by the U.S. Dairy Export Council and presented by Dairy Foods magazine. Kevin Stiles, Sr. Vice President, Business Development & Partnerships at Midwest Dairy Association, nominated the cooperative for its reputation of quality and ability to succeed in the export arena despite its geographic disadvantage.

“The company can be admired for the progress made in a short period of time, developing the market for their products while overcoming challenges in transportation distance, packaging and consumer preferences, along with occasional obstacles presented by new and different languages and cultures,” said Stiles.

Swiss Valley’s first experience in exports came in 2008 with sales in Mexico and by 2012 export sales began to emerge as a significant part of the company’s business, accounting for nearly 10% of the company’s sales in 2015. One of the company’s primary export products is cream cheese, which typically ends up in bakery goods and appetizers. Swiss Valley also exports a significant amount of whey, which is used primarily in ice cream and yogurt drink applications. Both of these products are manufactured at the company’s largest facility in Luana, Iowa. Over the last five years, export sales have grown by 422%. It is great strides like these that earned the company this honor.

“We’re extremely honored and grateful for the recognition,” said Swiss Valley Farms CEO Chris Hoeger. As a farmer-owned cooperative, Hoeger notes the company’s focus has always been providing members with a secure market for their milk. “With today’s ever-evolving marketplace, sometimes those markets can be found on the other side of the world,” he noted.

Today, Swiss Valley Farms products can be found in Canada, Taiwan, China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea, South Africa, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Iraq, Morocco, Dominican Republic, Australia, Vietnam, Panama and Hong Kong and the list continues to expand.

What the company lacks geography-wise, it makes up for in structure. Swiss Valley Farms has a dedicated export sales team and staff in both the Quality and Customer Service departments who are skilled at handling the unique requirements of export paperwork/documentation. At the plant level, Swiss Valley has invested in equipment and materials to ensure it has the robust packaging necessary to endure overseas shipments. “Our team has been working hard for many years to build business both domestically and abroad and we’re proud to be recognized for the successes we’ve had in growing our business globally,” noted Swiss Valley Vice President of Sales & Marketing Jay Allison.

The Exporter of the Year award will be presented to Swiss Valley Farms executives on October 13th during the USDEC Annual Board of Directors and Membership Meeting in Arlington, Virginia.

About Swiss Valley Farms

Swiss Valley Farms is a dairy cooperative, headquartered in Davenport, Iowa, with five cheese production facilities, located in Luana, Iowa, Shullsburg and Mindoro, Wis., Rochester and Faribault, Minn. These plants manufacture award-winning Swiss, Baby Swiss, Blue, Gorgonzola, Cream Cheese, Neufchatel, Gouda and Sweet Whey. We also produce pasteurized process cheeses, cold pack club blends, enzyme-modified cheeses and cheese analogs. Swiss Valley operates two subsidiary companies – Rochester Cheese and Caves of Faribault. In a joint venture with Emmi-Roth, Swiss Valley Farms also co-operates White Hill Cheese Co., LLC in Shullsburg, WI. Swiss Valley Farms has 575 dairy producer members in Iowa, Wisconsin, northern Illinois and southern Minnesota.

Export Sales Contacts

Kelly Panther, Sales Manager, Ingredient & Export | 563.468.6629 kelly.panther@swissvalley.com
Mike Ramos, Sales Manager, Ingredient & Export | 563.340.7948 michael.ramos@swissvalley.com

Source: Swiss Valley Farms