California Dairies Inc. (CDI), Visalia, Calif., said Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture Karen Ross and other state and local officials joined the cooperative on Sept. 29 for a groundbreaking ceremony in Kern County, Calif., at the future site of CDI’s new ultra-high temperature and extended shelf-life milk processing facility.

The U.S. industry produces large volumes of UHT milk annually, yet we have played only a minor role in serving booming Chinese consumption to date. Our research suggests that can and should change, particularly given that Chinese buyers have expressed growing interest in U.S. supply to meet spiraling demand.

Fonterra Chief Executive Officer Theo Spierings said the new plant would enable the co-operative to meet growing demand for UHT products in Asia. “The new plant will enable us to increase our UHT production by 100% over the next few years. 

Aseptically packaged UHT organic milk is currently being exported mostly by national processors, but now some smaller state and regional organic cooperatives want to negotiate export deals for UHT organic milk to Asian countries. 

Speaking during the launch Harsha Moily - Founder and CEO, MYA said, "The fundamental reason for MYA's existence is to create wealth for the rural farmer. The launch of MILK ROUTE goes a long way towards achieving that objective. MILK ROUTE will not only focus on providing the most nutritious milk to the consumer, but will also help in ensuring that the dairy farmer gets a higher share of the end consumer price, as we reach out to urban consumers through our sales & distribution network."