This year, during the Dairy MAX School Marketing team's bustling conference season, the team hosted a first-of-its-kind event prior to the start of the Colorado School Nutrition Association Annual Conference.
Named the Dairy Explorers Farm to Tray Experience, Dairy MAX welcomed 26 child nutrition professionals from key Colorado districts for a full-day adventure that took attendees from farm education to dairy-forward school meals.
The day kicked off with everyone boarding a bus for a 45-minute ride to the Kroger Mountain View Foods processing facility. During the journey, Dairy MAX's Bill Keating educated the group about Colorado dairy farming and our dedicated dairy farm families. Upon arrival, attendees toured the processing facilities, gaining insights into the swift journey milk takes from farm to table.
“Just learning about how quickly the milk comes from the farm, through the processing plant and to your table in 48 hours was surprising and cool to me,” said Sarah Tomsic from Thompson School District. “Also, that all of that milk is local to Colorado!”
Following the tour, Dairy MAX partnered with Ignite Food Service Solutions and Chef Luke to bring our K-12 recipes to life. This gave child nutrition professionals the chance to taste these recipes firsthand. Alongside preparing a delicious meal, Chef Luke shared tips and tricks for recipe preparation and performed demonstrations to show the simplicity of some dishes.
“There were lots of recipes that had a lot of tasty dairy ingredients in them… the curry chicken salad was fabulous!” said Tomsic.
While the group enjoyed their meal, local dairy farmer Eric Blaser spoke passionately about his daily experiences on the farm.
By hosting this event and showcasing the farm-to-tray experience, Dairy MAX aimed to educate, inspire and provide a firsthand look into the dairy foods the child nutrition professionals enjoy and serve to their students.
The excitement doesn’t end in Colorado. The School Marketing team has attended School Nutrition conferences in Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico so far this year. Up next are events in Louisiana and a School Administration Conference in Texas this fall. To learn more about Dairy MAX School Marketing resources, visit DairyMAX.org/School-Marketing.com.
