Let’s Talk Dairy

Samuel Alcaine, Ph.D., director of the Northeast Dairy Foods Research Center and an associate professor in the Food Science Department at Cornell University; Julia Somerdin of Labby Inc.; and Jenn Smith, director of Cornell University’s Grow-NY program, join us for Episode 22 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast. 

Dr. Samuel Alcaine’s areas of expertise are dairy microbiology, brewing, food safety, microbial fermentations, and protective cultures and enzymes. His research focuses on developing technologies that improve the quality and safety of fermented dairy products. 

Labby Inc., an MIT startup, develops milk quality testing right on the farm, helping to replace antiquated methods. Julia Somerdin and her team are building next-generation technology to help the dairy industry transform its milk testing business and provide fast, accurate, and affordable solutions for dairy farms. 

Cornell University’s Grow-NY program includes an annual $3 million food and agricultural startup competition, an agricultural tech hardware accelerator, and activities supporting the cultivation of Upstate New York’s regional agrifood ecosystem. 

Important to the dairy industry, the Grow-NY program has received funding to help build a runway for dairy product innovators utilizing milk in New York and the Northeast, preparing them to get their products into market, scale, and apply for grants and investment to grow their businesses. The program will launch in 2023. 

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Blake Waltrip, CEO of a2 Milk, joins us for Episode 21 of our “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast.

Waltrip joined the company in May 2016, assuming the role of chief executive of the USA region, which is headquartered in Boulder, Colo. He is responsible for leading its Northern American liquid milk business as well as managing a2’s supply chain partnerships and performance for this region.

Waltrip has a strong marketing and general management skill set. He was previously the CEO of Quinoa Corp. Inc., (The Ancient Harvest Brand). He previously served as vice president and chief marketing officer of the beverage division of the Hain Celestial Group; managing partner of a marketing services and strategy group, Growth Ventures; president Americas of Lowe Alpine; and had an extensive marketing career with Nestlé USA beverage brands.

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Julie Smolyansky, CEO of Morton Grove, Ill.-based Lifeway Foods, joins us for Episode 20 of our “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast.

At the age of 27, Smolyansky became the youngest female CEO of a publicly held firm when she began leading Lifeway Foods in 2002. Since then, Smolyansky has continued the company’s growth trajectory with creative product development and marketing to bring kefir, the company’s flagship product, into the U.S. mainstream. 

Under her leadership, the company has expanded distribution throughout the United States, Mexico, the UK, Ireland and France, as well as portions of Central and South America and the Caribbean. She is an emeritus member of the United Nations Foundation Global Entrepreneurs Council and was part of the 2015 class of Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum. 

Smolyansky has produced several documentaries, including “The Homestretch,” “Honor Diaries," “The Hunting Ground” and most recently, “On the Record.” In March 2018, Smolyansky released her first book, The Kefir Cookbook: An Ancient Healing Superfood for Modern Life, Recipes from My Family Table and Around the World.

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Tim Doelman, CEO of Chicago-based fairlife LLC, joins us for episode 19 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast to discuss challenges associated with sugar reduction.

Doelman has spent more than 25 years in the dairy industry, leading companies, developing products and leveraging technologies to strengthen the nutritional value of dairy while maintaining its natural integrity.

Doelman comes from a family of successful dairy farmers. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Doelman spent time working in his family’s dairies learning how to care for the cows and operate an efficient and profitable operation. He turned his passion for dairy and nutrition into a new business venture when he co-founded the Good Cow Co. in 1999 to develop and market proprietary, ultra-filtered dairy products. The work at Good Cow is the cornerstone of fairlife’s business today.

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Jenna Evans, global sustainability manager for South Burlington, Vt.-based Ben & Jerry’s, joins us for episode 18 of the Let’s Talk Dairy podcast to discuss sustainability.

At Ben & Jerry’s, Evans is responsible for climate strategy and sustainable packaging. She is leading a pilot program to cut dairy farm GHG emissions in half by 2024. Just after joining the company in 2018, she managed the company’s efforts to eliminate single-use, petroleum-based plastic in scoop shops worldwide. 

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Derek Neeley, vice president of marketing for Family and Wellness Brands at Danone North America, White Plains, N.Y., and Broomfield Colo.,  joins us for Episode 17 of our “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast. He talks about trends in immunity and the importance of gut health and the company’s newest RTD product, Activia+ multi-benefit probiotic yogurt drinks.

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Doug Dresslaer, director of cultural innovation for Kansas City, Kan.-based Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), joins us for Episode 16 of the Let’s Talk Dairy podcast to talk about the DFA CoLab Accelerator.

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Michelle McBride, founder & CEO of GoodSport Nutrition, joins us for Episode 15 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast. 

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Barbara (Barb) O'Brien, president and CEO of Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) and president and CEO of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, joins us for Episode 14 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast. 

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Allison Schuman, chief business development officer of Schuman Cheese, joins us for Episode 13 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast. She talks about both current and emerging trends within the continually growing cheese segment.

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