By Ali Boochever, Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center
At NE-DBIC, our goal is to help dairy farms and processors innovate to become more sustainable and resilient. Whether you’re looking for funding to purchase specialized equipment, to implement an innovative practice, or to receive technical assistance, consider applying for an NE-DBIC grant. Access full details and Requests for Applications online at nedairyinnovation.com/grants
Open Funding Opportunities:
Dairy Trade Show Assistance Grant
This grant will provide funds for dairy processors and/or producer associations to exhibit and sell value-added dairy products at domestic and/or international business-to-business trade shows. This grant will support established value-added dairy processor businesses and producer associations in increasing exposure and promotion of their regionally produced dairy products.
Grant funds will cover the cost of attending up to five tradeshows including registration, travel, costs of product samples, production and distribution of sell-sheets and other marketing materials, professional branding and design services, trade show booth set-up, and more. Trade shows must occur before June 30, 2025.
Applications are currently being accepted on a rolling basis until November 28, 2024 at 2 PM ET or until funds run out. Awards will range from $5,000 to $20,000 with a 25% match commitment. Approximately $150,000 total funds are available this round.
On-Farm Milk Storage and Handling Grant
This program will provide grants for dairy farmers to access funds that support the purchase of equipment and other related costs that will improve milk storage, handling, and energy efficiencies. The focus of this grant is on the purchase of specialized equipment. Applicants may select from a pre-approved list of eligible equipment. Projects funded by this grant will streamline milk pick up, create efficiencies around milk storage, and improve handling for both farmers and their processors.
The application period is open until December 5, 2024 at 2 PM ET. Awards range from $15,000 to $50,000 with a 25% match commitment. Approximately $1,500,00 in total funds are available this round.
Wrapping Cheddar Better: Cabot Creamery Introduces New 30% Recycled Packaging
By Katie Spring, Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center
When the name “Cabot” is mentioned, most people think of cheese.
For the 105-year-old award-winning cheese company, that’s how it should be. But lately, Cabot Creamery Cooperative is making headlines for something else: packaging.
Cabot is transitioning their 8-ounce cheese bars to a 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) packaging.
As Certified B Corp, Cabot’s commitment to caring for the environment encompasses the entire cycle of cheesemaking – from farm fields to store shelves – and cheese packaging plays a substantial role in their work to increase sustainability across the dairy supply chain. The shift to 30% PCR film comes from Cabot's research into sustainable packaging, funded by a $323,875 Dairy Product Packaging Innovation Grant from the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center.
Over the course of two years, Cabot worked with packaging manufacturer TC Transcontinental to test three types of film: post-consumer recycled (PCR), recycle-ready, and compostable. Their goal was to reduce the use of virgin plastic in dairy packaging. They also needed the cheese wrapped in the film to maintain flavor, shelf life, and meet food safety requirements.
Trial runs took into account how each film performed on Cabot’s packaging equipment, including speed and sealing efficacy. Cabot set aside samples of cheese in each film to evaluate shelf-life and conduct in-house sensory testing. They also shipped samples to TC Transcontinental and the Center for Dairy Research for additional analysis. The remaining cheese samples were shipped from Vermont to Connecticut to see how the packaging would hold up on the road.
The recycle-ready film ran into challenges on the packaging equipment. Requiring a slower rate, the film couldn’t be run efficiently, and attempts at a higher speed resulted in improper seals. The compostable film saw similar issues. Though it was able to run at the correct speed, its stiffer structure led to cracking, again disrupting the seal. While the compostable option isn’t ready for commercial use, TC Transcontinental is continuing to research and develop this option for potential future use.
Despite these challenges, Cabot found the PCR film to run well on all of their packaging equipment, seal properly, maintain product quality, and hold up to shipping and handling. The trials were so successful that Cabot is fully transitioning all 8-ounce bars of cheese over to this new film in late 2024.
This packaging change will lead to a 23% decrease in fossil fuel emissions, and a 19% decrease in water usage.
Grant projects like this not only make a difference for a single company, but also have ripple effects across the dairy industry and the environment at large. Cabot’s collaborator, TC Transcontinental, is one of the largest flexible packaging companies in North America. Their research into food-grade packaging that increases recycled content and decreases virgin plastic means other food manufacturers will have expanded options to choose from. As Cabot wraps up this grant project and moves their new 8-ounce packaging into the world, they now move their sights to other cheese sizes as they continue their mission to increase sustainability.
Announcing the 2024 Dairy Marketing & Branding Services Grant Awards
By Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center
The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC) is pleased to announce the 2024 Dairy Marketing & Branding Services Grant Awards. This grant increases the exposure and promotion of regionally produced dairy products, through projects guided by marketing and branding professionals. Funded projects include conducting consumer research, developing e-commerce websites, and creating new signage and packaging.
Seven dairy businesses from across six states were selected for awards. Individual award amounts will range from $35,055 to $50,000 with a total of $311,355 in overall funding.
In Vermont, the Vermont Cheese Council will be awarded $41,000 to hire a contractor to develop and begin to implement a digital marketing strategy with tactical plans that are suited to the Vermont Cheese Council’s size and budget, and to train Cheese Council staff to continue implementing the strategy beyond the grant period.
This grant is expected to open again in Spring 2025. Learn more about the program and about the other grantees on the NE-DBIC website at nedairyinnovation.com/2024-dairy-marketing-branding-awards/