Darigold makes major announcement at Dairy West

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A dairy industry leader is making moves to maximize its connection to Idaho dairies.

During the Dairy West 2023 Annual Meeting held at Boise Centre on Nov. 8-9, Darigold Chief Executive Officer Joe Coote announced his company’s plans to open a Boise location.

The plan, Coote said, was to establish an office in east Boise that will bring Darigold’s operations closer to farms, processors and larger agricultural workforce.

“Boise offers a more favorable cost base and the opportunity to craft a workspace that truly reflects our brand and culture,” he said. Darigold is headquartered in Seattle and is owned by 350 dairies located throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

The announcement was met with a positive response by those in attendance, and voiced by Dairy West CEO Karianne Fallow.

“Darigold’s decision to open an office in Boise is a testament to Idaho’s significant role in delivering quality, responsibly sourced dairy to the world,” she said. “We are thrilled to have this milestone announced at our annual meeting.”

Along with the announcement, the conference had other notable events such as the honoring of Dan Gilbert of Dan-de Holsteins and Dale Chugg of Chugg Jerseys as inductees into the Idaho and Utah Dairy halls of fame, respectively.

According to a release from Dairy West, the Idaho Milk Quality Award was presented to Nederend Dairy No. 1, the Utah Milk Quality Award was presented to Pappy’s Farm, the Telling Your Story Award was presented to Oralie Smith of Smith’s Cream Pitcher Jerseys for participating in the Adopt-a-Cow program, and the Friend of the Industry Award was presented to Dave Stout for his 40-year contribution to the dairy industry as a finance manager.