Chobani LLC, Norwich, N.Y., said it is building on its dairy industry initiative — Milk Matters — with the launch of its second limited-edition charity flavor. The flavor, Farmer Batch Chobani Greek yogurt Milk & Cookies, was created in partnership with American Farmland Trust (AFT), a nonprofit dedicated to protecting farmland, promoting sound farming practices and keeping farmers on the land.
Chobani said it is donating 10 cents from every purchase of four-packs of the new flavor to AFT. The nonprofit will use the donations to fund microgrants of up to $10,000 to help farmers transfer or protect their land, strengthen their farm business or develop climate plans.
"At Chobani, we always try to use food as a force for good," said Peter McGuinness, the company’s president. "We believe the most important thing we can do is make a difference. And we want to continue our mission-led innovation to help make a meaningful difference in dairy for the communities we operate in, the farms we source from and the fans for whom we make our food."
The charity flavor aligns with Chobani's mission to help strengthen America's milkshed at a time when many dairy farms are facing significant challenges. America has lost an average of five dairy farms per day for the past 10 years — a staggering 17,000 in all, the company said.
"Dairy farms are critical parts of the economy and landscape in communities across America, but dairy farm families are facing tremendous change due to a weak dairy economy, disruptions from severe weather and an aging farming population," said David Haight, vice president of programs, AFT. "We are proud to stand beside Chobani in helping dairy farmers plan for the future as they face these daunting challenges."