Gourmet News

Blue Diamond Growers Participates in Rose Parade

Published December 28, 2022

Blue Diamond Growers, the world’s leading almond marketer and processor, is participating in the 2023 Rose Parade presented by Honda, an iconic annual event held in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan 2. For the fifth year in a row, the Sacramento-based co-op will honor the people and pollinators that make Blue Diamond almond products possible, highlighting the farmer-owned cooperative’s commitment to sustainability, pollinators, and biodiversity with a custom-built float brimming with fresh flowers and featuring Blue Diamond almond growers.

Meticulously built to honor the almond pioneer’s past, present, and future, Blue Diamond will charm Rose Parade spectators with a colorful float that pays tribute to not only the almonds that sustain its growers and nourish its consumers but also to the pollinators that are vital for their success.

“We’re thrilled to be back for the Rose Parade! This year’s float is an unparalleled representation of the passion and hard work of our Grower members,” said Raj Joshi, SVP global consumer division for Blue Diamond Growers. “We are incredibly honored to share this moment with the almond grower-owners riding our float, bringing the whole display to life, and our thousands of members who will be watching from home. Blue Diamond’s California legacy keeps growing thanks to them.”

Spectators will be charmed with the enormous representations of the brand’s Almond Breeze Almondmilk and the signature Smokehouse-flavored Blue Diamond Almonds, a rollercoaster and an animated, spinning Ferris wheel. As the float makes its way down the streets of Pasadena, Blue Diamond has been intentional in ensuring that one element stands out: the honeybees. By creating joyful bees from thousands of flowers, the Sacramento-based co-op reinforces its commitment to partnerships that support honeybee health, such as Project Apis m. and Pollinator Partnership, and its leadership in using pollinator-friendly plantings in growers’ orchards to advance biodiversity and climate-smart agriculture.

This year’s eye-catching design will consist of more than 20,000 flowers, including over 10,000 pink and orange roses, hundreds of gladiolas, lilies, and orchids as well as a variety of seeds, beans, and almond shells. The float will also feature a unique component: the heart and soul of Blue Diamond, its growers. Twelve almond growers will ride alongside the float, representing the more than 3,000 dedicated growers in the California co-op – making it one of the world’s leading agricultural co-ops.

Lovingly known as America’s New Year Celebration, the iconic Rose Parade is celebrating its 134th anniversary. With this year’s theme, “Turning the Corner,” Blue Diamond also takes an opportunity to celebrate what the new year means to them: the long-awaited almond bloom that happens every February in central California, signaling a new year for the almond cycle, and a renewed opportunity to keep growing a better tomorrow through innovative sustainable farming practices.

Nothing denotes turning the corner more for Blue Diamond than fragrant almond blossoms, well-cared-for crops, and healthy bees pollinating the trees that make almonds possible. Visit bluediamondgrowers.com/sustainability to learn how Blue Diamond is committed to biodiversity and pollinator health.

You can watch the Blue Diamond Growers float in the Rose Parade on Jan. 2, starting at 8 a.m. PST in Pasadena or broadcast on live television.

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33rd Annual MLK Holiday Breakfast Returns in Hybrid

Published December 28, 2022

General Mills and UNCF’s 33^rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. MLK Holiday Breakfast will return in-person for the first time since 2020 with a corresponding virtual program. Former senior advisor to U.S. President Barack Obama, businesswoman and best-selling author Valerie Jarrett will share keynote remarks followed by a moderated conversation. The hybrid event will be held at the Minneapolis Convention Center on Jan. 16 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. CST. Tickets are available at MLKBreakfast.com.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast Organized by General Mills and United Negro College Fund, the Minneapolis event is one of the nation’s largest celebrations of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy and raises funds to help under-represented students in the Twin Cities successfully graduate from college. This year’s event theme is “Keep Moving Forward,” inspired by Dr. King’s leadership and lessons applied to the pressing social issues of today.

“Each year, this event gives us the opportunity to come together to reflect on the lasting legacy of Dr. King and how we can continue to advance the causes he fought for in our own communities,” said Mary Jane Melendez, chief sustainability and global impact officer at General Mills. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to creating a world that reflects Dr. King’s dream and to advancing a culture of equity, inclusion and belonging.”

General Mills and UNCF have a shared, long-standing commitment to addressing the need for deep, lasting changes to the systemic inequity faced by BIPOC communities. In honor of Dr. King, a 1948 graduate of Morehouse College, a historically Black college, proceeds from the event benefit UNCF Twin Cities’ MLK Legacy Scholarship, which supports local students of color to attend colleges and member Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Through this partnership, General Mills has provided nearly $7 million to support more than 400 programs and 37 academic institutions supported by UNCF.

“The legacy and words of Dr. King continue to inspire our advocacy for the importance of minority education and community engagement,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF. “We are grateful to work in partnership with General Mills to bring our community together each year and build up the essential support and awareness for our students and HBCUs.”

The annual holiday breakfast and support of UNCF remains a priority for General Mills as part of its enterprise-wide “G Stands for Good” purpose platform, which is rooted in two foundational pillars – planet and people – and guides the company’s goal of creating meaningful change, building a culture of belonging and taking action on issues of racial and social justice within our communities.

The MLK Holiday Breakfast in Minneapolis continues to inspire change in the world and honor those individuals whose footprints uplift the community. Following the breakfast, members of the Twin Cities community can engage through a variety of learning and volunteer opportunities organized by Hands on Twin Cities. Learn more at https://www.handsontwincities.org/mlkday2023.

Jarrett is CEO and a member of the board of directors of the Barack Obama Foundation. She is also a senior distinguished fellow at The University of Chicago Law School and serves as board chair of Civic Nation and Co-Chair of The United State of Women.

Ms. Jarrett was the senior advisor to Obama from 2009-2017, making her the longest serving senior advisor to a president in history. She oversaw the Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and vhaired the White House Council on Women and Girls. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling book “Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward,” published in April 2019.

Entertainment will be provided by Minnesota’s four-sibling family band, Nunnabove. The group describes its sound as “positive alternative pop,” and appeared on “America’s Got Talent” in 2018. The group has since performed at Summerfest, the largest outdoor venue in the country and the Minnesota State Fair.

The event will also feature Minneapolis-based TKO Drumline, a dynamic musical group made up of young people from the north metro and north Minneapolis. The group was founded in 2010 by Byron Hawkins to teach drumming techniques and rudiments to young people ages 8-18. Since then, the group has performed on stages as small as the Minnesota State Fair and as large as the Super Bowl.

The annual holiday breakfast began when UNCF and General Mills joined together in 1991 to host a community celebration to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Past speakers include Dr. Bernice King, Ambassador Andrew Young, the Honorable Eric H. Holder, CNN’s Laura Coates and Don Lemon, former Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell, actor David Oyelowo, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Yolanda King, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, Marian Wright Edelman, Donna Brazile, Vernon Jordan and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.

This event is made possible by co-hosts General Mills and UNCF, and presenting sponsor Best Buy. Additional support has been generously provided by 3M, Ameriprise, Andersen Corporation, BI Worldwide, Cargill, Carlson Family Foundation, CHS, Delta Dental of Minnesota, Ecolab, Medtronic, Medtronic Foundation, Minnesota Timberwolves & Lynx, North Memorial, Pentair, Sleep Number, Star Tribune, Target, Thrivent, United Health Group, Wells Fargo, and Xcel Energy.

To purchase tickets for the hybrid event or for more information, visit MLKBreakfast.com. All proceeds from ticket sales and sponsorships will be dedicated to UNCF Twin Cities student scholarships. For the first time, both in-person and virtual tickets will be available to better accommodate the participation preferences of all attendees. The live and virtual events also strive to provide accessible experiences for all and will include an ASL interpreter and closed-caption translations in four languages.

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Butterfly to Acquire Milk Specialties Global

Published December 26, 2022

Credit: Milk Specialties Global

Butterfly, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm specializing in the food sector, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Milk Specialties Global, a leader in human and animal nutrition, from affiliates of American Securities LLC.

Founded in 1949 and based in Eden Prairie, Minn., Milk Specialties is an industry-leading, vertically integrated ingredient manufacturer focused on the processing of raw dairy inputs, such as milk and liquid whey, into value-added functional ingredients for a variety of growing nutrition end markets.

The company’s Human Nutrition segment is a leading performance nutrition manufacturer that produces high-quality dairy protein ingredients and products designed to optimize health and nutrition. Today, Milk Specialties’ Human Nutrition segment is the largest producer of whey protein isolate in the world. The company’s Animal Nutrition segment is a leading provider of science-based animal nutrition products for the dairy industry.

Milk Specialties operates 12 state-of-the-art facilities strategically positioned across the United States that allow the company to deliver high-quality, specialized ingredients and exceptional service to customers around the globe. It has been led for over 14 years by CEO and industry veteran David Lenzmeier, who will continue to lead the business going forward.

Milk Specialties is Butterfly’s latest investment within its “seed to fork” strategy spanning agriculture and aquaculture, food and beverage products, food distribution, and foodservice. Butterfly brings specialized expertise in performance nutrition as a result of its 2019 majority investment in Orgain, one of the fastest-growing consumer brands in the nutrition industry. In 2022, Butterfly sold a majority stake in Orgain to Nestlé Health Science and continues to own a minority stake.

“We are beyond excited to roll up our sleeves and get to work with the Butterfly team. Partnering with a food-focused firm like Butterfly, we can drive enhanced value creation for all partners. We are really looking forward to what the future holds because Butterfly will enable Milk Specialties to achieve a new level of growth,” said Lenzmeier.

“We’ve admired Dave and team from afar for many years and are excited to welcome them to the Butterfly family,” said Butterfly founders and CEOs Adam Waglay and Dustin Beck. “We’re confident that Milk Specialties’ industry leadership and best-in-class team, combined with our expertise in the space, will enable us to drive even greater success for the business going forward. We can’t wait to see what we can accomplish together.”

“The Milk Specialties team has continually pushed the envelope of quality, service and innovation in the protein space, and we’re thrilled to join them in making high-quality, affordable nutrition products available to even more consumers,” added Butterfly Managing Director Aaron Kirkbride.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in Q1 2023. Butterfly was advised by Kirkland & Ellis LLP on legal matters in connection with the transaction. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, and Rabo Securities USA, Inc. acted as financial advisors to Milk Specialties and Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP served as legal counsel.

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