New product line will feature the first Idaho-branded butter available in the marketplace
BOISE, Idaho—Monday, February 4, 2013—High Desert Milk, located in Burley, recently expanded its production of high-quality dairy products to include butter. In addition to its new butter and buttermilk products, High Desert Milk also produces and distributes bulk nonfat dry milk and skim milk powders, as well as sweet cream.
High Desert Milk was formed in 2001 by six farmers and dairy owners with aspirations to create a stable market for their milk and an end product of which they and their customers could be proud. High Desert Milk’s farmers and dairymen work 30,000 acres of farm ground to provide feed for 30,000 cows at dairies located within a 30-mile radius of the company’s plant – creating a much faster parlor-to-product timeline using the freshest, most flavorful milk around.
The expansion into butter added 50,000 square feet of production and storage capacity to the High Desert Milk plant. With its own cream, High Desert Milk will be able to produce a daily average of 50 metric tons of butter, with the ability to bring in additional cream from around the area to increase production. The first offerings of butter are in bulk 25 kg boxes in both salted and unsalted varieties. In the near future, High Desert Milk is working to develop consumer-sized packaging with the intent of offering an Idaho-branded butter to consumers. It would be the first Idaho-branded butter product in the market.
“We are excited to be able to grow from offering high-quality milk powders into butter and buttermilk powder production, in order to bring more Idaho-produced milk products to consumers both domestic and international,” Chief Financial Officer Derik Robinson said.
With the new product lines, 20 new employees were hired to help meet the demands of churning and packaging the butter. The butter line will feature full automation in churning and packaging, along with robotic palletizing. In addition to High Desert’s own cooling storage, the company also is working locally with Americold in Burley to provide customers with options for freezer storage and rail shipping access.
High Desert Milk’s board members hold ownership of the farms and dairies, the trucks and the milk plant. Through vertical integration, High Desert is able to control and monitor all aspects of the supply chain and to offer customers the freshest products on the market.
To learn more about High Desert Milk and their products, please visit their website at: www.highdesertmilk.com
