-September 15,2021-
California Dairies, Inc.(CDI) the leading milk marketing and processing cooperative in the state will be holding a groundbreaking ceremony for their new state-of-the-art ultra-high temperature and extended shelf-life milk processing facility south of Shafter in Kern County. This new operation will be called Valley Natural Beverages.The plant will be operational in 2023.
The groundbreaking will be Wednesday, September 29, 2021, starting at 10:30 a.m.
With an eye on exports, Visalia-based CDI will be building its first new processing plant in years, focusing on a trend that the pandemic has accelerated- milk products that require less refrigeration and last longer on the shelf.
It’s real milk, but its special pasteurization and packaging process makes it last longer.
Extended shelf life milk can enjoy a shelf life of up to 180 days. A combination of high temperature and an Ultra Clean filling environment allows us to package products with this extended shelf life so you can enjoy products longer.
The demand for shelf-stable and extended-shelf-life (ESL) products continues to grow. According to Transparency Market Research, the worldwide aseptic packaging market is expected to have a compound annual growth rate of 10.2% during the period of 2017-2024.
One analysis says poor cold chain set up in developing countries is a key factor expected to drive ultra-high temperature milk market revenue growth during the forecast period. Many developing countries continue to face a severe lack in cold chain infrastructure and logistics necessary to safely distribute food products to consumers. Extended shelf life of UHT milk and less requirement of refrigeration are boosting demand in developing countries. This allows for a level of dependability and portability not seen with fresh milk supply. The shelf life of milk is extended to over four months with UHT and aseptic technology, which is otherwise around 21 days for traditional milk pasteurization. Moreover, these products are ideal for storage in warehouses, safety in long distance distribution, as well as for retail outlets that lack refrigeration. Small scale restaurants and food outlet chains in many parts of Asia and Africa are increasingly utilizing UHT milk due to lack of proper refrigeration system, and the trend has been gaining traction in the recent past.
California Dairies Inc is the number 10 largest milk processor in the country, tied with Land o Lakes- with 2020 sales in excess of $4 billion according to Dairy Foods Magazine