[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 87 (Thursday, June 16, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1129]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        COMMEMORATING CHALLENGE DAIRY PRODUCTS 100TH ANNIVERSARY

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                            HON. DEVIN NUNES

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 16, 2011

  Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend my congratulations to 
Challenge Dairy Products as they celebrate their 100th anniversary. 
Challenge first opened with 4 employees, a wagon and a rented horse 
that traveled from the San Joaquin Valley to Los Angeles. Today, 
Challenge Dairy Products has gown into a cooperative association 
representing 450 California family-owned dairies that markets and 
distributes dairy products globally.
  Challenge has become the largest butter brand in the West and is the 
leading dairy foodservice provider in California with eight 
distribution centers spanning from Lodi to San Diego. Challenge's 
successes are evidence of the many dedicated California dairy farmers 
and employees who have ensured the quality of all dairy products they 
produce.
  From the very beginning J.P. Murphy, the first President of then-
named Challenge Cream and Butter Association, recognized the importance 
of quality when he built the Challenge brand's reputation. With skilled 
marketing, word spread about the quality of Challenge Cream and Butter 
until they were the best known brand in the West. In an ongoing effort 
to improve butter quality, Challenge's engineers developed novel 
methods for butter processing and shipment, effectively replacing 
wooden churns and containers with aluminum.
  Today, Challenge Dairy Products is a wholly owned subsidiary of 
California Dairies, Inc., CDI, and markets nearly half of CDI's butter 
supply. As California's largest dairy provider, CDI has six 
manufacturing facilities that are located throughout the central valley 
and directly employs over 740 people. The 450 dairy farmer members 
produce 17 billion pounds of milk annually, allowing CDI to market high 
quality dairy products in all 50 states and 52 foreign countries.
  Challenge has provided generations of families with quality dairy 
products and has been instrumental in making California the top dairy 
state in the Nation. I applaud Challenge Dairy Products, their dairy 
farmers and employees for their hard work and dedication, and I 
congratulate them on their 100th anniversary.

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