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Cheese group encouraged about dairy exports

The executive director of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association is encouraged about future dairy exports and believes the industry is still making baby steps in some categories.  John Umhoefer tells Brownfield some products are in demand and others have potential. “We’ve been moving a lot of dry whey products over to Asia and other markets for a long time, both for food and for the animal feed side, and there’s a lot of whey moving to the pig market in China now, but on the cheese side, there’s really room for growth.”

Umhoefer says that growth potential is not only in the foodservice side, but fine cheeses that folks in Asia are learning to enjoy. “Some of the biggest volume you see right now follows both the foodservice side, like the Pizza Huts, the chains, that get overseas, but also you know one big portion is the retailers like the Costco’s that are popping up all over the Asian markets in Korea, China, and Japan.”

Umhoefer is also encouraged by a proposal in his home state of Wisconsin, where the Governor has proposed funding more agricultural export assistance.