From our President,
Tom Ditto . . .

On Sunday, October 20, 2002, the CCBA once again participated in supporting the Susan G. Komen "Race for the Cure."

Nine of our member companies donated product, recipes, coupons and time to help a truly worthwhile event in San Francisco. At 7:00 a.m. our booth was surrounded by runners and walkers who wanted to sample some of the cheeses that were available. Thank you to these companies who donated items to this years race;

  • Challenge Dairy Products, Inc.
  • J. Boggeri Company, Inc.
  • John J. Wollak Company, Inc.
  • Lifeline Food Company, Inc
  • Masson Cheese Corporation
  • McCadam Cheese Company, Inc.
  • Pacific Cheese Company, Inc.
  • Saputo Cheese USA Inc.
  • Tillamook Food Sales, Inc.

For those of you that would like to come down and enjoy the race next year, your attendance would be welcomed. I think that you would enjoy the excitement and appreciation that the runners express as they receive the snack of cheese [and butter coupons]. It also made for a fun day as we were next to the booth where the 49er cheerleaders were giving out photos and autographs. Unfortunately we did not have time to stop and get pictures of them in front of our booth. Maybe next year.

The Newsletter of the California Cheese
& Butter Association

ISSUE 23 NOVEMBER 2002
Lisa Waters, Editor


2002 - 2003 CHEESE BLOCK MARKET FORECAST

Please note our revised block market forecast based on Class III milk futures closing prices of October 31, 2002 and the application of our cheese-conversion formula:

December '02     $1.132
January '03     $1.185
February '03     $1.202
March '03     $1.235
April '03     $1.267
May '03     $1.303
June '03     $1.350
July '03     $1.409
August '03     $1.430
September '03     $1.450
October '03     $1.413
November '03     $1.388

After a few weeks of flirting with $1.30/lb. due to the support of DFA and others, the block market has once again settled in below government support levels. The futures market sees a gradual recovery to “normal” levels throughout the next year. This will require better cheese sales and reduced milk production – both are far from certainties.

For a very interesting analysis of the sales side doldrums the industry has experienced recently see member Jerry Dryer’s Dairy & Food Market Analyst October 4, 2002 issue. Dryer hits the nail on the head with his looks at retail and food service issues.

You may contact Jerry Dryer at (773) 404-6077 or jdryer@jdconsulting.com.



CCBA HOSTS POPULAR BOOTH AT THE L.A.COUNTY FAIR

California Cheese & Butter Association member companies have been submitting their gold medal-winning products for judging in the dairy competitions at the L.A. County Fair for several years. However, the 2002 Fair marked the debut of a new CCBA venture – their enormously popular “Milk Carton” demo booth. The milk carton-shaped booth was a real traffic stopper located in the Fairview Farms agriculture – focused portion of the fairgrounds. CCBA members were able to offer free samples of their products, plus coupons and recipes to many thousand appreciative consumers attending the fair.

CCBA member companies showcasing their products included Cacique USA, Challenge Dairy Products Inc., Don Francisco Foods, Inc., Horizon Sales Corporation, Imperial Valley Cheese - Gossner Foods, Masson Cheese Corporation, McCadam Cheese Company, Inc., Norseland Inc., Ralph’s Grocery Company, Rondele Specialty Foods, Saputo Cheese USA Inc., Sonoma Cheese Company, and Tillamook Food Sales, Inc.

Fair attendees were excited to learn about many fine new cheese and butter products and were thrilled to receive the generous free samples. From the school children to their grandparents, everyone wanted to know where they could buy the great products they were tasting.

Kathy Wadham, L.A. County Fair Exhibits Manager, reported “the different items being sampled every day at the CCBA Milk Carton generated a lot of excitement within Fairview Farms this year.”

The L.A. County Fair is the largest county fair in the world and is held annually for nearly three weeks in September at the “Fairplex” in Pomona, California. Attendance at the fair was 1,288,056 this year.

For information regarding the CCBA or the L.A. County Fair demo booth, contact Lisa Waters at (925) 672-8255.







Any misspellings or misinformation are the sole responsibility of the editor. Suggestions, additions, or comments are very much appreciated

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Past newsletters:
August 2002
May 2002
February 2002
November 2001
August 2001
June 2001
April 2001
February 2001
November 2000
August 2000
April 2000
February 2000
October 1999
July 1999
March 1999
October 1998
June 1998
March 1998
December 1997
August 1997
April 1997
February 1997