Established in 1999 through the successful merger of three prominent California dairy cooperatives, California Dairies, Inc. (CDI) is a milk marketing and processing cooperative co-owned by nearly 300 independent family-owned dairy farms.
Our member-owner dairies span across California, from San Diego County to Sacramento County, located within 100 miles of a CDI facility. This proximity ensures that 100% of our member-owners fresh, raw milk is transformed into a variety of high-quality dairy products within 24 hours of arrival at one of our manufacturing facilities or customer creameries.
As a leading manufacturer of butter, milk powders, nutritional powders, and innovative fluid and aseptic milk products , we only use simple, high-quality ingredients in our products. We make it our core mission to profitably market, process, and add value to our members’ milk while delivering wholesome, nutritious products to our customers and consumers around the globe.
We believe that we are stronger together: on-farm and at our facilities. Through the partnership with our member-owners, we work concertedly to ensure the consistent production of safe, healthy, and nutritious dairy products.
“As a member-owner of CDI, I value the fact that my milk is marketed into the best products available in a profitable manner every day of the year. We are stronger together, and our management and staff work daily to utilize progressive strategies to maximize the returns back to our member-owners.”
Dairyman, Member-Owner
Chairman, CDI Board of Directors
“At CDI, our mission is to profitably market, process, and add value to our members’ milk. As a leading dairy cooperative, we have strong board governance and an experienced leadership team well-positioned to capture exciting future opportunities that will help us continue to grow our business and return more value to our member-owners.”
California Dairies, Inc.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Challenge Dairy's core focus is on delivering high-quality butter, driven by the strength of its food service business and supported by its two iconic retail brands: Challenge and Danish Creamery.
As the milk powder brand for California Dairies, Inc., DairyAmerica serves the U.S. market with a variety of high-quality milk powders. The brand is also a recognized leader in international trade, having been honored as a top U.S. dairy exporter. DairyAmerica's international reach extends to more than 60 countries, where its products are used in a wide range of food and nutritional applications.
