By exiting the fluid milk and cultured business to concentrate on cheese, Swiss Valley Farms CEO Don Boelens has turned the Iowa-based dairy cooperative into a nimble processor that can react quickly to customers’ requests.
Swiss Valley Farms chief executive officer Donald A. Boelens was dealing with volatile milk prices and a collapsing export market in 2008-2009. Looking back, he says he knew there had to be a better management structure, one that could allow the company to take advantage of opportunities caused by price fluctuations and at the same time deal with the hardships.