No, it’s not your imagination. People really, really like Bison French Onion Dip.
Upstate Niagara Cooperative, the Buffalo-based food and beverage producer and distributor behind the Upstate Farms, Intense Milk, Milk For Life and Bison brands, took home 13 awards at the 53rd World Dairy Expo Dairy Products Contest, sponsored by the Wisconsin Dairy Association.
In all, 12 Upstate Farms products won (one product won both 1st and 2nd place in a category) in 11 categories (in two instances different products won in the same category).
Notable mentions include Bison French Onion Dip, beloved by generations of WNYers and mourned by expats, once again reigning supreme by snagging 1st Place in its category. Milk For Life Lactose Free Chocolate Milk, Upstate Farms’ lactose-free milk, won 1st Place in the Lowfat Chocolate Milk category, even though it will make its official debut on grocery cooler shelves later this fall.
The list of Upstate Farms winners and corresponding categories are:
Fresh Mozzarella
- Upstate Farms Gourmet Mozzarella Cheese Log (2nd Place)
- Upstate Farms Bocconcini (3rd Place)
String Cheese
- LMPS Culture String Cheese (both 1st and 2nd Place)
Ricotta
- Upstate Farms Ricottone (1st Place)
Lowfat Chocolate Milk
- Milk For Life Lactose Free Chocolate Milk (1st Place)
Fat Free Chocolate Milk
- Upstate Farms Fat Free Chocolate Milk (2nd Place)
Open Class Flavored Milk
- Intense Milk Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (2nd Place)
Plain Greek Yogurt
- Upstate Farms 5% Plain Greek Yogurt (2nd Place)
Flavored Greek Yogurt
- Upstate Farms Key Lime Greek Yogurt (1st Place)
Blueberry Yogurt
- Upstate Farms Lowfat Blueberry Yogurt (3rd Place)
Lowfat Sour Cream
- Bison Sour Cream (3rd Place)
Sour Cream Based Dips – Onion
- Bison French Onion Dip (1st Place)
“From traditional favorites like Bison French Onion Dip, to brand new products like Milk For Life Lactose Free Chocolate Milk, the 310 farmer-owners of our co-op are dedicated not only to delivering the freshest, best-tasting milk, but staying on top of our consumers’ needs,” said Mark Serling, Sr. Director of Sales, Marketing, and R&D for Upstate Niagara Cooperative. “Having the chance to compete with dairy producers from all over the United States means competition is stiff, but we’re honored to be part of the best of the best.”
Upstate Farms was among the top winners from New York State. Other states that placed in the competition were California, Idaho, Illinois, Wisconsin, Oregon, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Arkansas, Missouri, Connecticut, Indiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Colorado, Florida, Vermont, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Texas and New Jersey.
In all, the Wisconsin Dairy Association presented over 250 awards in 85 categories at the awards ceremony last night, held during the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. The contest is pegged as the only one of its kind in North America, since no other national contest includes all dairy products.
The World Dairy Expo, going on October 1-5, 2019, is the world’s largest dairy-focused trade show. Find more information at www.worlddairyexpo.com.
To learn more about Upstate Niagara Cooperative, including the Upstate Farms and Bison brands, visit upstateniagara.com.
ABOUT UPSTATE NIAGARA COOPERATIVE, INC.
A cooperative of over 310 family-owned farms, Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc. is a food and beverage company that has offered innovative, award winning, high quality dairy products since 1965. These product offerings include milk, flavored milk beverages, yogurt, dip, sour cream, cheese, and ice cream mix products marketed under the Upstate Farms®, Bison®, Intense Milk®, Milk For Life® and Valley Farms® brands.
