Jenna Byers and Team Selected as Finalists in DRI Product Competition

2012 Mar 19

As a member of the University of Delaware's UDairy Creamery student management team, Jenna Byers, a sophomore from Newark, DE, has been selected as a top six finalist in the Dairy Research Institute (DRI) product competition to develop a cutting-edge dairy beverage.

According to Shantanu Agarwal, director of product research and ingredient technology with DRI, the UDairy Creamery team's product "was recognized as a potential cutting-edge dairy beverage that meets the challenging needs of the consumer marketplace."

Because the competition is still in process, the UDairy Creamery team and DRI are unable to release the details of the product that was presented for the competition.

As a finalist in the competition, the UDairy Creamery must now submit a 10-page report by April 30 and product samples by May 24. On May 30, they will participate in a webinar to present their product to a panel of judges.

A panel of 10 judges, which includes dairy producers, representatives from media, technical and marketing representatives from various dairy processors and heads of trade organizations, will review submissions and announce the top three winners for the competition in mid-June.

The competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students and will recognize three outstanding individuals or teams, with awards totaling:

First prize, $8,000

Second prize, $5,000

Third prize, $3,000

The top three winners will be highlighted and awards presented at American Dairy Science Association annual meeting in Phoenix, July 15-19. DRI will provide up to $1,000 in travel support to the three winning teams.

The UDairy Creamery, established in 2008, produces premium ice cream made with the milk from the cows on the farm at the University of Delaware College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Founded on science, sustainability and entrepreneurship, the creamery encourages discovery learning, with University students involved in every aspect of making and selling ice cream "from the cow to the cone."

The Dairy Research Institute was established under the leadership of America's dairy farmers with a commitment to nutrition, product and sustainability research. The organization was created to strengthen the dairy industry's access to and investment in the technical research required to drive innovation and demand for dairy products and ingredients globally.