For National Dairy Month, the U.S. Dairy Export Council is answering the questions our farmer-funders frequently ask. This is FAQ No. 9 in a 10-part series. 

Editor's note: We are now offering all 10 FAQs and USDEC's answers bundled in a single, easy-to-read document featuring data, examples and analysis. Click the red button below, fill out a simple form and you'll get the report in an instant.

FAQ 9: Why did USDEC build a dairy center in Southeast Asia?

USDEC’s new U.S. Center for Dairy Excellence, which was introduced in October 2020, will help satisfy Southeast Asia’s growing need for U.S. dairy products and ingredients.  

The state-of-the-art facility is an education hub and collaborative meeting place aimed at inspiring innovation utilizing U.S. dairy ingredients and cheeses. Visitors to the center will learn how U.S. dairy farmers and processors bring the highest quality products and ingredients from the farm to consumers in the most sustainable and efficient way. 

The new U.S. Center for Dairy Excellence in Singapore will allow USDEC food scientists to create foods using U.S. dairy ingredients to meet the taste preferences of Southeast Asian customers. 

The U.S. Center for Dairy Excellence is an ambitious effort to build a gateway between U.S. suppliers and customers in Southeast Asia. It gives the collective U.S. dairy industry—for the first time—a shared physical presence in a key growth market outside the United States. (Learn more from the U.S. CDE website here.) 

The investment is a tangible illustration of increasing optimism for a more prosperous U.S. dairy future in a fast-growing region. 

Dalilah Ghazalay, USDEC regional director in Southeast Asia, is excited about bringing the U.S. dairy community and Southeast Asia’s food and beverage stakeholders together to explore innovative ways to utilize U.S. dairy products and ingredients. 

Sustainability is a high priority for U.S. dairy industry. The U.S. Center for Dairy Excellence in Singapore provides a platform to communicate U.S. sustainability and other messages to food and beverage customers and their consumers in Southeast Asia. 

Full implementation of the Center has been delayed by COVID-19 restrictions in Singapore.

“We will get through COVID-19,” USDEC President and CEO told Hoard’s Dairyman. “When we do, we are going to have a world-class facility in Singapore to service that region, for both existing customers and to grow more relationships with new customers. It’s an exciting opportunity for our member companies and the industry.”

Learn more:

• FAQ 8: What is fueling the dairy boom in Southeast Asia?

• FAQ 7: What U.S. dairy products get exported and where are they shipped?

• FAQ 6: How have dairy exports performed with USDEC?

• FAQ 5: Why should friends and neighbors not in the U.S. dairy industry care about exports?
• FAQ 4: How is the U.S. Dairy Export Council funded?
• FAQ 3: How did the U.S. Dairy Export Council start?

• FAQ 2: What does the U.S. Dairy Export Council do?

• FAQ 1: How do U.S. dairy exports benefit farmers?

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The U.S. Dairy Export Council fosters collaborative industry partnerships with processors, trading companies and others to enhance global demand for U.S. dairy products and ingredients. USDEC is primarily supported by Dairy Management Inc. through the dairy farmer checkoff. How to republish this post.