What Cayuga does

Cayuga Milk Ingredients is a farmer-owned dairy ingredient manufacturer headquartered in Cayuga County, New York. Founded in 2012 and operating as a cooperative, the company converts raw milk sourced from Central New York dairy farms into premium milk powders, milk protein concentrates/isolates, and fluid milk products for industrial food and beverage customers. The single processing facility, located in Cayuga County, sources 70% of its milk within a 40-mile radius and processes milk within hours of collection, positioning the company as a freshness- and sustainability-differentiated supplier in a commodity-adjacent category.

The company's product portfolio spans three categories: milk powders (Skim Milk Powder and Non-Fat Dry Milk in low, medium, and high heat variants), protein powders (Milk Protein Isolate 90, Milk Protein Concentrate 85, and Milk Protein Concentrate 70), and fluid milk products (condensed skim milk, cream, ultrafiltered skim milk, and specialized blends). Core processing technology includes a Near-Infrared (NIR) standardizer enabling protein-level customization from 30% to 36%, alongside advanced separation, pasteurization, filtration, evaporation, and spray drying systems, and on-site anaerobic/aerobic wastewater treatment. The facility holds Grade A, OU Kosher, Halal, SQF Level III, USDA, and Sedex certifications, and milk quality is described as exceeding EU regulations.

The business model is B2B direct sales to enterprise food manufacturers across cheese, confectionery, yogurt, ice cream, nutritional beverages, dry mixes, and butter/UHT categories globally. Pricing is quote-based with no public pricing available, and revenue is generated through ingredient sales. The farmer-owned cooperative structure, with member farms such as Barbland Dairy (4,400 cows after the 2019 White Eagle Dairy partnership), Twin Birch Dairy, and Venture Farm, provides vertical integration from herd through processing. A $270M facility expansion was announced in 2025, signaling a major capacity step-up. The company also operates a proprietary CREATE quality program requiring quarterly farm audits at 12x the industry standard, and is an active member of the SAI Platform.

Name

Cayuga

Legal name

Cayuga Milk Ingredients

Website

https://cmingredients.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Cayuga Milk Ingredients is a farmer-owned dairy ingredient manufacturer in Central New York that produces premium milk powders, protein concentrates, and fluid milk products for global food and beverage manufacturers across cheese, confectionery, yogurt, ice cream, and nutritional beverage applications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dairy Ingredients Manufacturing

NAICS

Dry, Condensed, and Evaporated Dairy Product Manufacturing (311514), Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115), Fluid Milk Manufacturing (311511)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Milk Powder, Condensed & Evaporated Milk Manufacturing (AFAKAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Heat-Stable/High-Heat Milk Powders for Industrial Use (Bakery, Confectionery, Recombination) (AFAHAFAL), High-Protein/High-Solids Fluid Milk Processing (Ultrafiltered Milk) (AFAHAAAF), Fluid Milk & Cream Processing (AFAKAKAA)

Keywords

• Dairy ingredients manufacturing
• Milk powder supply
• Milk protein concentrate
• Fluid milk products
• B2B food ingredients

Headquarters

HQ city

Auburn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Dairy Ingredient Sales: Revenue generated from selling premium dairy ingredients including milk powders, protein powders, and fluid milk products to food manufacturers and industrial customers. Products include Skim Milk Powder, Non-Fat Dry Milk, Milk Protein Concentrate, Milk Protein Isolate, condensed skim milk, cream, and ultrafiltered skim milk.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Cayuga Milk Ingredients manufactures premium dairy ingredients — including milk powders, protein powders, and fluid milk products — at a state-of-the-art facility in Cayuga County, New York, and supplies them directly to food and beverage manufacturers worldwide. The company processes milk from local farms within hours of milking and offers customizable protein levels (30%–36%) using Near-Infrared standardizer technology. Its product portfolio spans Skim Milk Powder, Non-Fat Dry Milk, Milk Protein Isolate 90, Milk Protein Concentrate (70 and 85), Condensed Skim Milk, Cream, Ultrafiltered Skim Milk, and Specialized Blends.

Product overview

Cayuga Milk Ingredients is a farmer-owned dairy ingredient company supplying the global nutrition market with superior dairy powders, liquids, and creams. The product portfolio consists of three main categories: (1) Milk Powders including Skim Milk Powder and Non-Fat Dry Milk in Low Heat, Medium Heat, and High Heat variants; (2) Protein Powders including Milk Protein Isolate 90, Milk Protein Concentrate 85, and Milk Protein Concentrate 70; and (3) Fluid Milk Products including Condensed Skim Milk, Cream, Ultrafiltered Skim Milk, and Specialized Blends. All products are processed within hours of milking and can be customized to meet specific nutritional and functional requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Skim Milk Powder High-quality skim milk powder produced by separating, pasteurizing, vacuum-concentrating, and spray-drying fresh raw milk, available in Low Heat, Medium Heat, and High Heat variants with protein levels customizable from 30% to 36%. Supplied to industrial food manufacturers including cheese, confectionery, yogurt, ice cream, and dry mix producers.
• Non-Fat Dry Milk Non-fat dry milk powder with excellent solubility and clean milky flavor, produced from fresh raw milk via separation, pasteurization, vacuum concentration, and spray drying. Available in Low Heat, Medium Heat, and High Heat variants for food manufacturing applications.
• Milk Protein Isolate 90 High-quality milk protein isolate (90% protein) produced via separation, pasteurization, ultrafiltration, and spray drying, with excellent solubility and clean milky flavor. Sold to manufacturers of cheeses, confectionery, yogurts, ice cream, and dry mixes.
• Milk Protein Concentrate 85 High nutritional quality protein powder (85% protein) with high calcium, produced by removing lactose and minerals from skimmed milk. Targeted at sports beverage and protein bar manufacturers.
• Milk Protein Concentrate 70 Protein concentrate (70% protein) with high nutritional quality and calcium content, suitable for cheeses, cultured foods, frozen desserts, nutritional beverages, and dry mix meal replacements.
• Condensed Skim Milk Nutritious condensed skim milk produced by separating, pasteurizing, and condensing fresh milk. Supplied to industrial food manufacturers.
• Cream Fresh cream produced by separating, pasteurizing, and cooling whole milk to 35°F/2°C. Supplied for butter, ice cream, UHT products, cultured dairy products, puddings, and cream-based desserts.
• Ultrafiltered (UF) Skim Milk Concentrated protein milk produced by gently filtering skim milk to separate proteins from lactose, minerals, and water. Functional ingredient for powdered drink mixes, soups, sauces, bakery products, and snack food coatings.
• Specialized Blends Customizable milk ingredient products scientifically tailored to meet specific nutritional and functional customer requirements, using advanced processing to preserve original milk nutritional integrity. Supplied to manufacturers requiring tailored dairy ingredient solutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Products processed within 24 hours of milking
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.

• White Eagle DairycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership formed in 2019 bringing an additional 1,200 cows to Barbland Dairy's operation, expanding the herd to 4,400 cows and strengthening their position as a prominent local milk producer for Cayuga Milk Ingredients.
• Cornell UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough the Dairy Fellows program, Cornell University connects students with Cayuga Milk. Jeremy joined Cayuga after learning about innovative practices at Cayuga farms through Cornell professors. The company also collaborates with Cornell on farm practices and industry advancement.
• SAI PlatformcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCayuga Milk Ingredients is an active member of the SAI (Sustainable Agriculture Initiative) Platform, reflecting their leadership and dedication to advancing regenerative agriculture best practices globally. The SAI Platform defines regenerative agriculture as protecting and improving soil health, biodiversity, climate, and water resources.
• FARM Program (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll Cayuga farms comply with the FARM program and the proprietary CREATE program. The FARM program is a national dairy animal care program. Cayuga conducts audits 12x the industry standard through these programs.
• Fair Trade CertifiednotableOthersJoel Riehlman's Venture Farm was one of the first Fair Trade Certified dairy operations, demonstrating commitment to ethical sourcing and sustainable farming practices.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Agropur: Canadian dairy cooperative producing milk powders, MPC, MPI, whey proteins and fluid milk for global B2B customers. Closely comparable to CMI in cooperative structure, ingredient portfolio (especially milk protein fractions), and focus on industrial food manufacturers.
• Hilmar Cheese: US dairy processor producing cheese and whey protein ingredients (WPC, WPI, lactose) for industrial B2B. Comparable ingredient-supply model with high-protein dairy focus and large capital investments in processing technology, similar to CMI's $270M expansion.
• Arla Foods Ingredients: Specialty dairy-ingredient arm of Arla Foods cooperative, supplying milk powders, whey proteins, and customized blends to food, beverage, and nutrition manufacturers globally. Direct overlap with CMI's milk protein powders and tailored blends targeting sports/medical nutrition.
• Glanbia Nutritionals: Dairy-based ingredients business supplying whey proteins, milk proteins, and customized blends into sports nutrition, functional beverages, and bakery. Strongly comparable custom-formulation capability and end-market overlap with CMI's MPC/MPI lineup.
• Dairy Farmers of America Ingredients: US farmer-owned cooperative producing milk powders, whey, and dairy ingredients for industrial customers nationwide. Closest US-based cooperative structural peer with similar ingredient portfolio, certifications, and customer types.
• Land O'Lakes Dairy Foods: US farmer-owned cooperative with a dairy-foods segment producing butter, milk powder, and condensed milk for retail and industrial markets. Comparable US cooperative, B2B ingredient supplier positioning, and capital-intensive processing footprint.
• Fonterra Ingredients: New Zealand-based global dairy cooperative and one of the largest dairy-ingredient exporters worldwide, supplying milk powders, MPC, MPI, and specialty proteins. Comparable B2B ingredient model, cooperative structure, and broad international certification footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Saputo Ingredients: Global dairy processor with an ingredients division producing milk powders, whey, and dairy proteins for industrial customers. Larger-scale incumbent with overlapping capabilities but a much broader portfolio spanning cheese, retail dairy, and ingredients.
• Leprino Foods: World's largest mozzarella producer; also a major supplier of dairy ingredients (whey, lactose) to food manufacturers. Adjacent competitor in B2B dairy-ingredient supply with comparable capital intensity and product applications in confectionery, baking, and nutritional products.

Regional players

• Fairlife (Coca-Cola Dairy): Ultrafiltered milk and dairy-protein beverage producer that is building a major processing facility in New York State. Distinct go-to-market (consumer brand vs. CMI's B2B ingredients) but directly competes for raw milk supply, talent, and regulatory attention in CMI's backyard.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CayugaMilk
• Facebookfacebook.com/CayugaMilk

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cayuga