Chobani LLC, a Norwich, N.Y.-headquartered maker of Greek yogurts, oat beverages, probiotic drinks and dairy creamers, said the company’s Chobani Coconut recipe is now made from Fair Trade Certified coconuts, in a continuation of the company’s deep commitment to responsibly sourcing every ingredient. Chobani is the first national brand to earn this certification for a coconut blend in the yogurt aisle.

The Fair Trade Certified seal ensures that every purchase helps replenish the world’s dwindling coconut supply and helps small family farms. Despite the market growth, almost all coconut farmers in the Philippines, where Chobani sources its Fair Trade Certified coconuts, live on less than $1 a day and have little bargaining power. To help offer support, Chobani said it is providing a $50,000 Producer Resiliency Grant to improve the lives of farmers within its coconut producer communities in the Philippines, as well as strengthen the sustainability of their farming operations.

The Center for Dairy Research said its communications staff recently launched a new website: www.cdr.wisc.edu. The updated website for the Madison, Wis., center features a modern look, with dynamic and interactive webpages that are also compatible with all devices (phones, laptops, tablets, etc.).

The Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA), a Madison, Wis.-based partnership between the Center for Dairy Research and the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, said it opened registration for the “Let’s Get Started” webinar series. These webinars are geared toward dairy processors and dairy farmers interested in improving their businesses through diversification, including the development of new value-added products. For more information or to register, visit https://www.cdr.wisc.edu/dbia-webinars.

3-A Sanitary Standards Inc. will go virtual for its upcoming education program education program on May 17-18, 2021. The online program will feature experts on a range of leading topics and issues in the hygienic design of food processing equipment, the McLean, Va.-based organization said. The complete schedule and program will be announced late this year.

Sponsored Link opportunities are available for 2021. Sponsorship provides a great opportunity to show support for the education mission of 3-A SSI and gain recognition at the education events, exposure on the 3-A SSI web site throughout the year, and worldwide outreach via the 3-A SSI quarterly e-newsletter Sanitary Design Connections, 3-A Sanitary Standards said. For sponsorship details, see https://www.3-a.org/Get-a-Sponsored-Link.

PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, announced that Ethan Schonberg, a student at Alexandria Technical and Community College, is the recipient of the $5,000 Chuck Yuska Scholarship. To qualify for the scholarship, students must be studying engineering, packaging, processing, mechatronics or a related field and show an interest in the packaging and processing industry. Herndon, Va.-based PMMI established the scholarship in honor of Chuck Yuska, PMMI’s former president and CEO of 28 years.

Ingredion Incorporated, a Westchester, Ill.-headquartered provider of ingredient solutions to the food and beverage manufacturing industry, said it signed an agreement with James Cameron and Suzy Amis Cameron to acquire the remaining portion of ownership in Verdient Foods Inc. that the company did not already own. The acquisition is expected to close in November. The transaction was funded from the company's available liquidity. No other terms of the transaction were disclosed.

Firmenich, the world’s largest privately owned fragrance and taste company, said it joined the Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley (SFNV), a global reference in sustainable food and nutrition innovation. Founded in 2020 by Nestlé, EPFL, Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne and the Swiss Canton of Vaud, SFNV provides a rich ecosystem of expertise and cutting-edge science to address the major global food and nutrition challenges of the future. Bérangère Magarinos-Ruchat, chief sustainability officer for Geneva, Switzerland-based Firmenich, was appointed to the executive committee of the new network.

Firmenich also recently marked its 125th anniversary with the launch of a redesigned website. Firmenich.com opens new digital avenues for direct customer engagement and showcases the group’s creativity, world-class science and top-rated sustainability performance in greater depth than ever before, the company said.

Atlantic Corp., a Waterville, Maine-based provider of agricultural business and economic research and development, said it developed a business-planning tool for the dairy industry with the support of USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative funding. The Dairy Market Assessment and Planning System (DairyMAPS) provides detailed information regarding consumer attitudes and preferences about dairy products at the national, regional and state levels. A consumer survey informing DairyMAPS was administered online and contained 50 questions, many with multiple parts. The tool is available at www.atlanticcorporation.com/dairymaps.

CP Kelco, an Atlanta-based provider of nature-based ingredient solutions, announced the Phase II launch of a new test kitchen in its popular virtual experience: www.cpkelco.com/virtual. Each prototype is introduced by an expert from the global sales technical service team, who offers tips for using CP Kelco’s nature-based ingredients to create regional-inspired foods and beverages. An easy-to-follow recipe card also accompanies each video. For example, customers will find a tropical take on a drinking yogurt and new ways to suspend protein in plant-based beverages.

Rockwell Automation, Milwaukee, said it recently received certification to the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) 62443-3-3 cybersecurity standard. The certification, performed by third party TÜV Rheinland, means the company has demonstrated the ability to install and configure production systems to meet security requirements to level 1 as defined in the world’s leading global standard.

Evergrain Ingredients LLC, St. Louis, selected Univar Solutions, a Downers Grove, Ill.-based chemical and ingredient distributor and provider of value-added services, to distribute its portfolio of plant-based ingredients for food, beverage and nutraceutical products in the United States and Canada, as well as various countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Univar Solutions said the Evergrain product range, derived from barley grains, further expands its comprehensive offering of plant-based food and nutraceutical products across these regions.

Smurfit Kappa, a Dublin-based provider of paper-based packaging solutions, announced new targets to further reduce its fossil CO₂ emissions, including its ambition to reach at least net zero emissions by 2050. It also increased its existing intermediate 2030 CO₂ reduction target by 15% to 55%, in comparison to the 2005 baseline.

May River Capital, a Chicago-based private equity firm focused on lower middle-market industrial growth companies, said it appointed Brad Sterner as CEO of Advanced Material Processing (AMP), its platform focused on material processing equipment for such sectors as food and beverage, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and chemical. Sterner was previously executive chairman of AMP, which consists of Kason Corp. and Marion Process Solutions.