Growing demand for dairy

Crystal Sinn has been part of the dairy industry throughout her entire life, from growing up on a dairy farm to holding careers within the food industry. Her current position with Midwest Dairy as a business development manager combines her interests in dairy and food trends.

“We want to inspire consumer trust and drive demand for dairy,” Sinn said.

Midwest Dairy has had partnerships with food service businesses, and through Sinn’s work, they are looking to expand their list of partners to grow dairy demand.

“There are lots of great ways to add dairy to the menu, whether that is adding a new item or just adding a piece of cheese or sauce to an existing menu item,” Sinn said. “We are looking for partners who are as passionate about dairy as we are.”

Sinn’s position with Midwest Dairy will focus on menu innovation and providing data to their partners to make informed decisions when it comes to menu and ingredient choices. Sinn and her team will be working directly with foodservice partners.

“We establish these great relationships and help them grow,” Sinn said. “That looks a little different for each partner depending on their needs, whether that is helping them with different data points or helping them grow different categories or any way possible to promote dairy.”

The overarching goal of these partnerships is to increase sales and thus demand for dairy, Sinn said.

“We want to show that dairy can be a star, not just on the menu, but also as a great resource,” she said. “We want to be a helping hand and are not here to sell a one-size-fits-all approach. We want to be a partner and provide data to our partners to help them make great choices.”

Part of Sinn’s role is to utilize food trends and highlight how dairy can be a menu focal point.

“Dairy is taking the lead in being the high-quality protein and has a great story to tell,” Sinn said. “Beverages are all the rage right now and dairy plays well within that by being a premium option to add to cold or hot beverages.”

One such partnership is with the restaurant, Runza, where Midwest Dairy’s collaboration resulted in a new milkshake flavor, blueberry lemon.

“Not only is it delicious, but it is beautiful with its lavender color,” Sinn said. “We are creating fun and excitement when it comes to dairy.”

Midwest Dairy also worked with Runza to share about their homemade ranch sauce.

“Their buttermilk ranch has quite the following on social media,” Sinn said. “Because they use buttermilk in it, we created some table tent displays for customers who dine in at Runza that share cow facts and to highlight local dairy farmers.”

Another partnership has been with Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, where Midwest Dairy’s collaboration also resulted in a new menu item.

“We partner with them on a grilled cheese steakburger that uses four slices of cheese,” Sinn said. “The best part was that it was originally a limited time offer product, but the customers loved it so much that it became a permanent menu item.”

Midwest Dairy has many food service partnerships and is looking to grow its list as it shares the message of dairy. In addition to Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers and Runza, Midwest Dairy works with pizza chains, coffee shops, ice cream companies and salad companies.

“Dairy is playing a key role in all of these strategies, and it is exciting to see dairy front and center on those menus,” Sinn said. “We have a lot of cool things in the works.”

Sinn said they are seeing trends of consumers who are into health and wellness, sustainability and getting enough protein — all goals that are aligned with dairy.

“At the end of the day, we are looking to create long-term relationships that not only benefit dairy farmers but also the broader dairy community,” Sinn said. “Dairy has so many great benefits for the partner and their customers, with being sustainable, healthy, tasty and even indulgent at times. These benefits are what make dairy so special. Every partner has the opportunity to lean into what resonates most with their brand and their customers.”