Dairy Processing - May/June 2022 - 22

Carbon Neutrality
In March, Organic Valley announced an ambitious new program
to become first in the category to reach carbon neutrality
without carbon offset reliance.
With the help of key partners and consumers, the cooperative
of small, organic family farms plans to work towards a carbonneutral
food system through a carbon insetting program that will
incentivize and assist Organic Valley farmers with implementing
regenerative, climate-smart farming practices.
The CCIP, or CROPP Carbon Insetting Program, is designed to
help Organic Valley reach carbon neutrality through real-world,
deep emission reductions and carbon sequestration on member
farms. This program will help Organic Valley become the first
major dairy brand to reduce farm emissions without reliance on
carbon offsets. Practices being considered for the 2022 CCIP
pilot include tree plantings, improved manure management,
renewable energy, energy efficiency and enhanced grazing and
cropland practices.
Organic Valley aims to become the first major dairy brand
to achieve carbon neutral farm emissions without relying on
carbon offsets.
Carbon insetting continues to gain traction among companies
seeking an earth-centered approach to supply chains and
carbon impact.
cooperative works with a network of anywhere
from 80 to 90 co-processors from coast to coast.
And Organic Valley produces products largely
across that network.
" The fact that we have such a vast network
of co-processors, as well as a full portfolio of
different dairy categories, gives us strength and
resiliency, " Brennan said. " Being able to move
production around is a challenge. "
Internally, Organic Valley owns three plants.
Two of them are basically milk balancing plants
that operate milk standardization, produce
butter or ghee, and in one case, dry milk for
powders, Brannen said.
" The third plant is a small cheese conversion
facility. So being able to be flexible and move
production to other sites to manufacture different
products helps us tremendously in balancing
need when we have a challenge, " he said.
From the business side of the cooperative,
Brannen said, its Organic Valley's supply chain
that makes it so unique.
" I spent the first 27 years of my career
working in large tier one CPG companies.
Everything I learned about supply chains and
how to make them efficient, and how to operate
them, went straight out of the window when I
came here, " Brannen said. " I don't believe anyone
has a supply chain as different and complex and
unique as ours. So what makes us unique? We are
picking up organic milk at approximately 1,700
family farms, at least twice a week, 365 days a
year. Some of these are very small dairies that
milk as few as 20 cows. "
Minimum pickup, Brannen said, is somewhere
between 500 and 1,000 pounds of milk.
" There's nothing efficient about trying to
Organic Valley is the nation's largest farmerowned
organic cooperative and one of the
world's largest organic consumer brands.
22 MAY-JUN 2022 | DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
http://www.DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
Dairy Processing - May/June 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dairy Processing - May/June 2022
