Dairy Processors Association of Canada

What Dairy Processors Association of Canada does

The Dairy Processors Association of Canada (DPAC) is a national non-profit industry association headquartered at 220 Laurier Avenue West, Suite 500, Ottawa, Ontario, that represents the public policy and regulatory interests of Canadian dairy processors. Governed by a Board of Directors elected from its member companies, DPAC's membership spans all sizes of dairy processing enterprises — from family-owned mid-market firms (Hans Dairy, Quality Cheese, Foothills Creamery, Fromagerie Bergeron) to multinational corporations (Saputo, Agropur, Lactalis Canada, General Mills Canada, Bel Group, Fairlife/Coca-Cola). The association is funded entirely through membership dues and does not develop products or technology; its core 'product' is advocacy, policy expertise, and unified industry representation at the federal level.

DPAC's primary activities include advocating on the impact of trade agreements (CETA, CPTPP, CUSMA), influencing tariff rate quota (TRQ) allocation mechanisms, promoting a grocery code of conduct to address retailer fees, and supporting sustainability initiatives including the Canada Plastics Pact and Pathways to Dairy Net Zero. The association communicates with members and stakeholders through its website, a monthly newsletter called 'By the Whey', press releases, policy statements, and an annual report. It has secured measurable policy outcomes, including the allocation of CUSMA and CPTPP dairy TRQs to processors and a $292.5 million Supply Management Processing Investment Fund.

The association operates within a broader dairy processing sector that contributes $16–19 billion annually to the Canadian economy, employs 24,000–24,500 Canadians across 470+ facilities, and processes approximately 8 billion liters of raw milk annually. DPAC's key strategic partnerships include Dairy Farmers of Canada, the National Farm Animal Care Council, the Conseil des Industriels Laitiers du Québec (CILQ), and the National Index on Agri-Food Performance, reflecting a collaborative approach to supply chain, sustainability, and trade policy advocacy.

Name

Dairy Processors Association of Canada

Legal name

Dairy Processors Association of Canada

Website

https://dpac-atlc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Dairy Processors Association of Canada (DPAC) is an Ottawa-based national non-profit industry association that advocates for the public policy and regulatory interests of Canadian dairy processors at the federal level. Its membership spans family-owned firms to multinationals including Saputo, Agropur, Lactalis, and General Mills Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: DPAC operates as a not-for-profit industry association representing dairy processors. Revenue is derived from membership fees paid by dairy processing companies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

DPAC is Canada's national industry association that represents the public policy and regulatory interests of Canadian dairy processors. The association provides federal-level policy advocacy on trade agreements (CETA, CPTPP, CUSMA), supply management, tariff rate quota allocation, grocery code of conduct, dairy nutrition policy, animal welfare standards, and sustainability, while delivering industry information to members through its website, monthly 'By the Whey' newsletter, and annual report.

Product overview

The Dairy Processors Association of Canada (DPAC) is a national industry association representing the public policy and regulatory interests of the Canadian dairy processing industry. DPAC does not offer products or services in the traditional sense; rather, it serves as an advocacy organization that works on behalf of dairy processors to influence policies, provides industry news and updates through its website (including the 'By the Whey' newsletter), publishes statements on trade agreements and regulatory matters, and facilitates collaboration among dairy processing industry stakeholders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DPAC Membership Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully advocated for allocation of CUSMA and CPTPP dairy tariff rate quotas to processors rather than non-dairy stakeholders
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2022DPAC was an active member of the Code Development Committee for the updated Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle. The committee included representatives from dairy farmers, Humane Canada, and industry, government and veterinary experts working together on evidence-based solutions for farm animal care.
• Dairy Farmers of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration between dairy processors and dairy farmers on supply chain issues, trade agreement impacts, COVID-19 response, milk supply situations, and joint statements on CUSMA implementation and compensation.
• Ottawa Food BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDPAC partnered with Dairy Farmers of Canada and General Mills Canada to donate dairy products and volunteer time to support the Ottawa Food Bank and Canadians in need.
• Canada Plastics PactcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDPAC joined as an implementation member to work toward a circular economy for plastic. The partnership supports sustainable use of resources in dairy farming and processing sectors and aims to eliminate problematic plastics, achieve 100% recyclable packaging, and increase recycled content.
• National Index on Agri-Food PerformancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDPAC officially joined this coalition of 100+ public and private sector partners developing a comprehensive framework for agri-food sustainability in Canada from farm to retail. DPAC contributes leadership and insights from Canada's dairy processors.
• Canada's National Index on Agri-Food PerformancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDPAC joined the coalition providing leadership and sharing insights from Canada's dairy processors to develop agri-food sustainability policies and actions.
• General Mills CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeneral Mills Canada is a DPAC member and partnered on World Milk Day donations to the Ottawa Mission, providing over 2,000 yogurts. The company produces Yoplait and Liberté brands.
• Pathways to Dairy Net ZerocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDPAC announced its support for Pathways to Dairy Net Zero, an industry initiative addressing environmental sustainability in dairy processing.
• Conseil des Industriels Laitiers du Québec (CILQ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint advocacy with Quebec dairy processor association on grocery retailer practices and FPT agriculture minister actions regarding supply chain issues.
• Saputo Dairy Products Canada GPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDPAC member that partnered on World Milk Day donations to the Ottawa Mission, providing cheese, yogurt, and milk products.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Dairy Australia: Australian dairy industry services body covering farming, processing, and policy; comparable association-of-industry model serving a national dairy processing constituency outside Canada.
• Dairy UK: UK trade association representing dairy processors and manufacturers on policy, trade, and sustainability; highly comparable association model serving a national dairy processing constituency outside North America.

Broad incumbents

• European Dairy Association (EDA): Brussels-based association representing European dairy processors at the EU level; closest analogue to DPAC's role in shaping dairy processing policy, trade, and sustainability at a supra-national level.
• American Dairy Products Institute (ADPI): US trade association representing dairy product manufacturers and ingredient suppliers; comparable mandate on dairy processing policy, trade, and technical standards for processors in the largest North American dairy market.
• International Dairy Federation (IDF/FIL): Global dairy organization spanning farming and processing; provides the international standards-setting and policy coordination context within which DPAC's national advocacy operates.

Direct peers

• Food and Beverage Canada: National trade association representing Canadian food and beverage manufacturers; comparable advocacy model on federal regulation, trade, and sustainability issues affecting food processors, of which dairy is a major subsector.
• Conseil des Industriels Laitiers du Québec (CILQ): Quebec-based dairy processor association with which DPAC conducts joint advocacy on grocery retailer practices and federal-provincial supply chain issues; effectively a provincial counterpart serving the same processor constituency.
• Canadian Meat Council: National trade association representing Canadian meat processors; comparable not-for-profit association model advocating on federal regulation, trade, and supply chain issues for a major Canadian food processing sector.
• Dairy Farmers of Canada: National industry association representing Canadian dairy farmers; DPAC's most direct counterpart on the supply side, with overlapping trade, sustainability, and policy interests and a documented ongoing collaboration.
• Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors Council: National association representing Canadian poultry and egg processors; directly comparable association model advocating on federal regulation, supply management, and trade for an adjacent supply-managed Canadian food processing sector.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DPAC_ATLC
• Facebookfacebook.com/DPAC.ATLC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dpac-atlc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Dairy Processors Association of Canada