This year, Refrigerated & Frozen Foods produced 18 podcasts, sitting down with industry experts to discuss the latest in all things cold chain. Below are our favorite episodes from 2024.
Tillamook’s New Illinois Ice Cream Plant is Full of Firsts
The Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) is an Oregon-based dairy co-op and manufacturer known for their award-winning cheese, yogurt, butter and most importantly to this story – their deliciously creamy ice cream. Tillamook’s new ice cream manufacturing facility in Decatur, Illinois marks a few firsts for the company: it will be TCCA's first owned and operated manufacturing facility outside of Oregon and its only facility solely dedicated to ice cream production. On this episode of From the Cold Corner, Mike Bever, executive vice president and chief Supply Chain officer at Tillamook County Creamery Association, joins us to share some ice cream insights. LISTEN NOW.
Saffron Road CEO Adnan Durrani Sits Down with R&FF
The better-for-you food movement is on fire and Saffron Road is among the F&B brands leading the charge. Inspired by world cuisines, and made with high quality, ethically sourced ingredients, all Saffron Road products are Halal-certified. Led by founder and CEO Adnan Durrani, the 15-year-old company is a Certified B Corp, with products found in over 25,000 U.S. retail locations. Last month R&FF Editor in Chief Kelley Rodriguez sat down with Adnan at Frozen IQ, in Fort Worth, Texas, where he spoke on a panel about sharing the benefits of frozen foods with consumers. LISTEN NOW.
Forecasting 2025 Trends
Justin Cook, lead Consumer Products researcher at Deloitte, joins From the Cold Corner to share more about Deloitte’s research into the refrigerated and frozen consumer and how F&B manufacturers and processors can work with grocers to win a bigger share-of-stomach. LISTEN NOW.
Big Mozz, Winner of NFRA’s Penguin Pitch
Their clean-label massive mozzarella sticks are a branded menu item at major concert venues like Madison Square Garden and in just over a year have made it into 3,500+ retail doors. The NFRA recently celebrated Big Mozz as the winner of its inaugural Penguin Pitch competition. Matt Gallira, CEO and founder of Big Mozz, discusses transitioning from a concert staple, to a foodservice superpower, to a retail CPG, bringing to the masses. LISTEN NOW.
FedUp Foods & Its Next Chapter of Functional Beverages
FedUp Foods, the largest private-label fermented beverage manufacturer in North America, is beginning its next chapter of growth with construction of its third production facility in Wilmington, North Carolina. Renowned for creating health-conscious beverages such as Kombucha, Prebiotic Sodas, and more, the company currently serves nine of the 12 top private label programs in North America. The Wilmington facility will allow FedUp Foods to meet growing demand and offer new products, like cold brew coffee. On this episode, Zane Adams, co-founder, and executive vice president of Strategy and Development, shares more about FedUp Foods’ journey and the company’s latest production facility. LISTEN NOW.
Suntado – Idaho’s First Vertically Integrated Dairy Processor
Idaho’s first vertically integrated dairy processing plant opened just in time for June Dairy Month, with a focus on contract manufacturing. Suntado processes and packages on site with capacity for up to 1 million pounds of locally-produced milk per day into shelf-stable and extended shelf life (ESL) milk and liquid dairy products. The 190,000-square-foot facility is the first U.S. co-manufacturer to use TetraPak’s Tetra Top packaging. On this episode, we are joined by Tory Nichols, office of the CEO, Business Development, Suntado, Russ Lucas, Suntado plant manager, and Mat Rutz, vice president of contract manufacturing for Tetra Pak U.S. and Canada, to talk more about Suntado and the future of the dairy business. LISTEN NOW.
Ice Cream Manufacturing Capital of the World
Wells Enterprises, Inc. is the largest privately held ice cream manufacturer in the United States. Founded in 1913, the company produces more than 200 million gallons of ice cream per year and distributes products in all 50 states. Wells and its nearly 4,000 employees manufacture its signature brand Blue Bunny, lower-calorie Halo Top, the iconic Bomb Pop, and Blue Ribbon Classics from Le Mars, Iowa, the “Ice Cream Capital of the World” as the largest manufacturer of ice cream in one location, and plants in Dunkirk, New York, and Henderson, Nevada. July is National Ice Cream month, and who better than to talk about all things ice cream than Brad Galles, vice president of Manufacturing and Engineering for Wells Enterprises. LISTEN NOW.
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