Milk is an edible biological liquid, usually white, produced by the mammary glands of female mammals. Humans use the milk which comes from domestic mammals, mainly cows, as ingredients for processed or unprocessed food.

 

This market report focuses on the cow’s milk market in California, plant-based alternatives are briefly discussed but a specific market report is dedicated to the topic.

 

This market research includes farmers and organic farmers, dairy cooperatives, main dairy processors with plants in California and equipment suppliers.

 

California is the leading producer of milk in the U.S and the milk industry is essential to the San Joaquin Valley, which accounts for about 90 percent of the milk production within the state and concentrates more than half of the dairy processing industry. Due to the high cost that comes with hauling milk, almost all of the milk produced in California is processed in the State.

 

The milk industry has been quite affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers turned away from Food service & drinking places toward retail food purchases. Meanwhile, dairy processors struggled with an inflexible supply chain partly designed to serve restaurants, schools and other food service activities.

 

California consumers have shown enthusiasm for drinking plant-based milk and organic milk. Local brands of plant-based milk like Califia farms or Three Trees Organics have experienced strong growth rates in the state of California.

 

More than 12% of dairy consumers in the U.S live in California and organic sales have been steadily increasing over the last 10 years. With retail price of organic milk almost twice that of conventional milk, organic milk now accounts for more than twenty percent of the overall expenditure on beverage milk in the state. Organic farms are mainly located in the North Coast region and have been trying to shift their production to serve other dairy products besides beverage milk.