Ben Yee of California Milk Advisory Board Touts Education and Networking Benefits
To support California Dairy farmers, The Board Goes Above and Beyond in These Capacities
by Anne Allen
TRACY, CA
Tuesday, June 9th, 2026
Education and networking are essential components of business success. The California Milk Advisory Board helps dairy companies in this capacity through strategic programs.
“We work with companies at various stages—some at the beginning of building their brand and developing their product line. Others are more established, while some are growing exponentially fast,” began Ben Yee, Director of Processor Partnerships. “CMAB provides all of them with industry knowledge, expertise, and experience to support their needs, whether it’s to run trials for new formulations or help them make connections with retailers or foodservice operators they did not have before.”
Ben emphasized that CMAB goes above and beyond to provide resources and programs for California’s dairy producers. An example would be the California Dairy Innovation Center (CDIC). Led by Veronique Lagrange, the division spearheads a range of programs. These include short courses throughout the year to help college students, industry professionals, and even retailers learn about various dairy technologies in product development and processing.
The California Milk Advisory Board works with companies at various stages—some at the beginning of building their brand and developing their product line
The California Milk Advisory Board works with companies at various stages—some at the beginning of building their brand and developing their product line
“It covers almost every dairy category from cheesemaking to ultrafiltration to fermentation. Our Processor Partnerships team supports dairy companies by providing relevant data analytics and insights—including Circana, Innova, Technomic, and more—to arm our partners with current, relevant information that helps them sell to their customers or identify whitespace opportunities,” Ben added.
CMAB also connects processors with businesses looking to source dairy—but might not necessarily know whom to speak to or where to start.
“We have relations and connections in every type of dairy ingredient or processing that’s needed to commercialize or formulate,” Ben stressed. “We also help companies find processors that have the capacity to run their dairy products, something that makes the partnership special. Our teams provide honest feedback and real-world guidance to put organizations in the best position to succeed. Their success in the marketplace is our success, as it means more consumption of dairy products from California.”
