Organic, grass-fed dairy producer expands operations
2008 goals for Grass Point Farms, Wisconsin Organics underway
by Sustainable Food News
November 12, 2007
Chad Pawlak remembers as a kid bounding up the steps of the Blue Moon Cheese Factory in Thorp, Wis., to visit his dad, who, like his father before, made a living at the plant handling wheels of cheese.
It was backbreaking work, and Chad’s father impressed on him at early age the difference between earning a paycheck using brawn versus brains.
Chad chose the latter. Today, he is president of Organic Farm Marketing, Inc. (OFM), manufacturer of Grass Point Farms line of grass based products and Wisconsin Organics certified organic dairy products.
Coming full circle, Pawlak announced OFM’s new corporate headquarters are now located in the former Blue Moon Cheese Factory, where his father and grandfather worked for 40 years. The new digs will quadruple the company’s office space and enable onsite manufacturing and distribution operations.
Grass Point Farms offers a full line of milk products, butter, and an assortment of cheeses ranging from Monterey jack to mozzarella to cheddar to blue and other specialty cheeses.
Wisconsin Organics also sells a wide variety of milk, cheese and butter products that come from local organic dairy farms.
About 95 percent of the company’s product is sold in the retail channel. The company seeks to increase market share for its Wisconsin Organics brand and expects its Grass Point brand to gain national distribution by the end of next year.
Currently, Pawlak said the company has “peppered” distribution meaning products sold at various points across the country but primary distribution remains in the Upper Midwest.
The company’s goal is to increase its presence in the foodservice market.
“With many foorand dservice companies looking for pasture-raised dairy products, we feel a great growth opportunity is available here,” Pawlak said.
To deliver on those expectations, the company named Danny Welcome as its new national sales manager to help build upon a national broker network that currently consists of nine brokers in the central U.S.
Wellcome has over 30 years of sales and management experience in the fresh food industry, specifically in the meat, deli, seafood and bakery industries, OFM said.
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