In Green County, food has everything to do with economic development. We have a strong food and beverage manufacturing foundation, along with all the incredible businesses that support our food and beverage industries.
What is the future of food and how can Green County be positioned to take advantage of new markets?
Experts at the Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison assure us that in 10 years we will be consuming dairy products in ways we can’t even imagine today. Think about dairy products you’re consuming today that you never considered 10 years ago. How about Odyssey Greek Yogurt? How about whey protein supplements in your energy bars and smoothies?
Back in 2008, I had never heard of Greek yogurt. I had heard of whey protein supplements, but thought of them more as a product for body builders. Now I eat them every day.
When I was a kid, the “whey truck” from Zimmerman Cheese came past our house nearly every day. Back then whey was considered a waste product to be spread on farm fields. Experts knew whey contained a better source of protein than eggs, milk, cheese or meat, but whey is mostly water (94 percent) and sugar (5 percent) and they didn’t know how to get the 1 percent of protein out.
Now we have whey processing plants in Green County producing dry whey for better nutrition for both humans and animals.
In 2008, Tera Johnson opened an organic whey processing plant in Reedsburg. Before she opened her plant, she had identified no real market for organic and specialty cheesemakers to sell their costly whey for a premium price. By 2010, her business was named the 2010 Innovator of the Year by Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.
Teraswhey is Tera’s branded product designed to be sold directly to consumers — especially aging baby boomers who are starting to experience muscle loss due to aging, and dieters who want to lose fat but not muscle. Teraswhey flavors like Bourbon Vanilla and Fair Trade Dark Chocolate are sold everywhere from Amazon to Costco.
After growing her successful business, Johnson has turned her attention to growing food, beverage and value-added farm businesses. She runs an intensive boot camp through the Food Finance Institute for established food and beverage companies which want to take their business to the next level. Johnson will be the guest speaker for the upcoming Green County Development Corporation Executive Leadership Breakfast on Oct. 16 at Bailey’s Run Vineyard, N8523 Klitzke Road, New Glarus. (Previously called the CEO Breakfast, we’re changing the name of this event to be more inclusive of Green County business leadership teams.)
Breakfast and networking begin at 7 a.m., followed by Johnson’s presentation at 7:30 a.m. with time for questions and a tour of Bailey’s Run Vineyard. Please RSVP to GCDC by Oct. 8.
In her presentation, Johnson will tell the story of taking a company from an idea in her head to a sale to a public company. It’s the story of what it really takes to build a successful modern manufacturing company and national food brand based in a rural community in Wisconsin. It’s also a story with many lessons for other entrepreneurs and rural communities who are looking to create their own successes. Johnson will return to Green County in January to lead her four-day food and beverage bootcamp specifically designed to help entrepreneurs in the food/beverage industry supercharge their success. Spots will fill up quickly so contact our office at 328-9452 for information!
— Cara Carper is executive director at Green County Development Corporation. She can be reached at cara.gcdc@tds.net.
