Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) celebrated a successful 2007 at its annual meeting, held March 19 in Tillamook, Ore., where it was announced that TCCA’s net sales were $382 million in 2007, a gain of $56 million from 2006. Cheese sales were reported at a record high 122 million pounds sold.

The theme of the meeting was “Tillamook. Tastes better because it’s made better.™” Over 150 cooperative owners and invited guests were in attendance.

‘“Tillamook. Tastes better because it is made better™’ summarizes in one clear statement the essence of the Tillamook brand,” stated Jay Allison, vice president of sales and marketing for the nearly 100-year-old dairy cooperative. “It encapsulates our commitment to consistently delivering high quality, great tasting dairy products.”

Keynote speaker, Harold Strunk, TCCA president and CEO, echoed the sentiment in his State of the Association address where he outlined TCCA’s core values and recognized the Association’s accomplishments for the year. “Product quality and taste are the cornerstones of the Tillamook brand. We must keep focused on what is important: Identifying consumer needs and delivering consistently high quality, great tasting products to them in the forms and package types that meet their changing needs,” he stated.

In addition to recognizing a retiring board member and presenting the 2008 public relations and ad campaigns, the program included awarding the 2007 TCCA Milk Quality Awards.

Five TCCA member-owners were recognized for achieving outstanding milk quality in 2007. Producer of the year went to Chasin’ Rainbows Dairy, owned by Dean and Patti Tohl, who were also recognized as achieving 20 years of shipping milk to the Creamery without a milk quality infraction. The second highest quality producer was E. Gomes Jersey Dairy, owned by Eddie and Katie Gomes; third highest was Alpine Vue Dairy, owned by Max and Lisa Hurliman; and Wismer’s Dairy owned by the Wismer family in Gaston, Ore., was the fourth highest quality producer. Lo-Land Dairy, owned by Nick Hurliman, was recognized for achieving 16 years without a milk quality infraction.

In his speech recognizing the top quality award winners, Bryan Gibson, field services manager, noted that he had compared the results of the TCCA top quality producers to those who were recognized in the National Milk Quality Awards for 2007 and that if they had been nominated on the national level, the TCCA award winners would have placed first, second, third and fourth in the nation for high quality milk. “Pretty good for a couple of small timers on the Oregon Coast,” he added.

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