From the Cold Corner

Idaho’s first vertically integrated dairy processing plant opened just in time for June Dairy Month, with a focus on contract manufacturing. Suntado processes and packages on site with capacity for up to 1 million pounds of locally-produced milk per day into shelf-stable and extended shelf life (ESL) milk and liquid dairy products. The 190,000-square-foot facility is the first U.S. co-manufacturer to use TetraPak’s Tetra Top packaging. On this episode, we are joined by Tory Nichols, office of the CEO, Business Development, Suntado, Russ Lucas, Suntado plant manager, and Mat Rutz, vice president of contract manufacturing for Tetra Pak U.S. and Canada, to talk more about Suntado and the future of the dairy business.

The Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) is an Oregon-based dairy co-op and manufacturer known for their award-winning cheese, yogurt, butter and most importantly to this story – their deliciously creamy ice cream. Tillamook’s new ice cream manufacturing facility in Decatur, Illinois marks a few firsts for the company: it will be TCCA's first owned and operated manufacturing facility outside of Oregon and its only facility solely dedicated to ice cream production. On this episode of From the Cold Corner, Mike Bever, executive vice president and chief Supply Chain officer at Tillamook County Creamery Association, joins us to share some ice cream insights.

For the first time in a year, Gifford’s Ice Cream is making Maine’s most famous ice cream after a fire ripped through production facilities, forcing the company to rely on co-packers. To get back up and running, the family-owned ice cream company carved out a smaller production area—roughly 30% of actual size once the factory is fully restored—and has two lines running to produce quarts and bulk flavors for its wholesale customers and ice cream stands. A brother and sister are part of the fifth generation of ice cream makers running the company and churning out distinctive flavors in ‘40s-era Cherry Burrell freezers. On this episode of From the Cold Corner, Lindsay Skilling, CEO of Gifford’s, and JC Gifford, COO, share the latest on the rebuilding process, becoming the official ice cream of the New England Patriots and more.► Read the full story

From the Cold Corner sits down with Mary Emma Young, vice president of communication at the American Frozen Food Institute, during 2024 AFFI-CON to discuss the lobbying Congress on behalf of the food industry, food safety and more.

Last summer, UPSIDE Foods, a cultivated meat, poultry and seafood company, received approvals needed by the USDA, following a greenlight from the FDA in Fall 2022. That allowed the company to start commercial production and sale of its cultivated chicken. Since then, a number of companies, like Meatable, Wanda Fish and Believer Meats, have announced plans to scale production.  As so-called cruelty-free meat moves out of the lab and into the mainstream, what is the current state of the cultivated meat industry and how soon can we expect to see it on menus? On this episode of From the Cold Corner, Stephanie Lind, founder of Elohi Strategic Advisors, a consulting firm specializing in food and beverage Sebastian Bohn, sub-market leader of alternative proteins at CRB, an architecture and engineering firm specializing in the F&B space, discuss the current state of the cultivated – or cell-based – meat and what we can expect in the future.

On this episode of From the Cold Corner, Don Olsen, vice president of design and operations at ESI Group, discusses what food manufacturers and processors should know about the design-build process for cold and frozen facilities.

Afia started in 2017 at an Austin area Farmer’s Market and moved into retail in 2018 with the H-E-B Quest for Texas’ Best program. In the years since, the company has grown to a national brand with 13,000 distribution points and three lines of frozen Mediterranean/Middle Eastern Food.On this episode, Farrah and Yassin Sibai, of Afia, discuss their newly-opened “purpose built” frozen food production space in Taylor, Texas, and what’s ahead for the brand.

Welcome to From the Cold Corner, a podcast dedicated to the refrigerated and frozen foods’ cold chain. Marty Khait, co-founder and managing principal at Yukon Real EstatePartners, and author of R&FF’s special series, Farm to Frozen, joins R&FF Editor in Chief Kelley Rodriguez to discuss what’s ahead in 2024 for the U.S. cold storage market.

With inflation anticipated to ease in 2024 and changing consumer preferences, new research indicates that specific grocery departments will lead the pack in volume growth. On this episode of From the Cold Corner, Sally Lyons Wyatt, executive vice president and practice leader at Circana, discusses what is ahead in the New Year.

Armored Fresh, a South Korean food tech startup, wants to be the cheese alternative everyone asks for. The company was the first in the world to create vegan cheese from plant-based milk using fermentation technology and patented processes it says creates a product nearly indistinguishable from dairy-based cheese. Andrew Yu, vice president of American operations at Armored Fresh, joins From the Cold Corner to discuss how the company’s patented tech could change the cheese game.