Protecting our PLANET
protecting our PLANET
We’re actively pursuing sustainable environmental initiatives throughout the AMPI supply chain, balancing regulatory obligations with a responsibility to our dairy farmer-owners, employees and communities.
Making Every Drop Count
AMPI dairy farms produce about 4 billion pounds of high-quality milk annually — and we’re committed to using every drop to make the co-op’s portfolio of award-winning products. We don’t waste a thing.
Most of the milk is made into the nearly 500 million pounds of cheese we sell each year. During the cheesemaking process, milk is turned into curds and whey. The curds are made into cheese, leaving whey — a watery liquid that we don’t let go to waste.
In 2025, AMPI plants used this by-product rich in protein, lactose and other vitamins to make 62 million pounds of dry and liquid whey. U.S. food makers use the ingredient to make baked goods, confections, infant formula and prepared foods and beverages.
When you make a lot of cheese, it’s inevitable there will be some loss. But even our cheese scraps are put to good use. Cheese scrap diversion initiatives, such as at our (location) plant, keep 98% of these leftovers out of landfills with much of it becoming animal feed.
Cleaning up
Have you ever heard of “cow water”? It’s dairy processing slang for water driven off from milk and whey during concentration and dehydrating steps. Thanks to innovative processes to reduce milk waste, it’s the least of many contributors to the wastewater stream resulting from normal processes required to make AMPI’s award-winning cheeses and whey products. The biggest contributor? Cleanliness. Dairy product manufacturing requires an intensive amount of water-based sanitation. At AMPI’s (Location), for instance, an average ___ gallons of water are used daily. We use it to accomplish a through scrubbing of the tankers that deliver milk and the bays where they unload. It’s also needed for intensive washdowns and sterilizing of the manufacturing systems where food is made.
When we’re finishing cleaning, we’re equally diligent with pretreating the wastewater before it’s discharged into municipal sewer systems. In 2024 and 2025, we prioritized infrastructure investments that contribute to sustainable practices, such as installing a new filtration tank at the co-op’s wastewater treatment plant in Jim Falls, Wis. The plant is critical to operations at our nearby cheese-making facility because the Jim Falls community does not have a municipal plant. We’ve also completed new construction projects to expand water pretreatment processes at AMPI’s Sanborn, Iowa, and Paynesville, Minn., plants.
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Investing With Intent
We’ve made historic investment in infrastructure improvements in our six manufacturing facilities and employ innovative processes to curb waste and boost efficiency. At our cheesemaking plants, new equipment investments and expanded manufacturing capabilities are reducing product waste and capturing additional value from the whey stream generated by the cheesemaking processing. Updated evaporator equipment controls installed at our Jim Falls, Wis., cheese and whey plant is helping to further minimize our electricity demand.
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Making a Global Impact
Our international customers are reducing their carbon footprint by taking advantage of AMPI’s planet-saving packaging option. Customers that traditionally purchase 40-pound blocks can now opt for AMPI-made barrels that require 45% less cardboard and 66% less flexible plastic liner. It’s a choice that reduces environmental impacts without sacrificing product quality, taste or consistency. The co-op’s domestic customers now receive 700-pound blocks packaged in reusable wood or plastic shipping containers to decrease landfill trash with less wasted cheese.
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Smarter Milk Movement
Digital technology is helping us cut fuel use and reduce emissions while transporting milk from member-owner farms to our processing facilities. Data-driven planning optimizes logistics and minimizes the time trucks are on the road. Up-to-the-minute load reports coupled with smart silo monitoring systems route milk to the processing facility where it’s immediately needed. We’re also employing new applications that enhance our raw milk tracing capabilities. Quick tracking can pinpoint contaminated batches while protecting safe milk.
