June 3, 2016
CapitalPress.com
3
At 107, Tillamook Cheese still growing
By GAIL OBERST
For the Capital Press
TILLAMOOK, Ore. —
In 1853, three dairies were
operating in the area, ac-
cording to “The Tillamook
Way,” a history of the Til-
lamook County Creamery
Association by Northwest
author and journalist Archie
Satterfield.
By 1856, Indian Agent
William R. Raymond re-
corded making the first
vat of cheese in Tillamook
County. Thus began a tra-
dition in the region now fa-
mous for its dairies.
Coincidentally, Patrick
Criteser, president and
CEO of Tillamook Coun-
ty Creamery Association
and Tillamook Cheese, has
traced his ancestry in Ore-
gon back seven generations.
Although his ancestors set-
tled in the Willamette Val-
ley, Criteser said he took
the Tillamook job nearly
four years ago because he
wanted to work in his home
state, Oregon.
The association board re-
cruited Criteser after he had
worked in administrative
posts for brands including
Nike, Disney and Proctor
& Gamble and, more re-
cently, as CEO at Coffee
Bean International. Crites-
er is the eighth CEO of the
107-year-old farmer-owned
Tillamook County Cream-
ery Association.
The association is one
of the Northwest’s largest
Courtesy of Tillamook County Creamery Association
Patrick Criteser is the CEO and president of Tillamook County Creamery Association and Tillamook
Cheese.
dairy cooperatives, but un-
like many others, Tillamook
develops and distributes
branded consumer products
from almost all of the milk
it gets from its Tillamook
County owners.
Those products are mar-
keted under the Tillamook
brand, and 95 percent of
them are sold west of the
Rockies, although some
non-branded milk byprod-
ucts such as powdered whey
and lactose are sold interna-
tionally.
Criteser joined the com-
pany during a volatile peri-
od in the milk prices, from
highs in 2014 to recent lows.
Added to market, environ-
mental and political chal-
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owners, then manufactures,
distributes and promotes
Tillamook dairy products to
1.3 million people visited
the Tillamook Cheese facto-
ry in Tillamook — “About
as many as the Space Nee-
dle,” Criteser said.
He said his goal has been
to spread the power of the
Tillamook brand beyond
its cheeses to its ice cream,
butter, sour cream, yogurt
and other products. Already,
products are now made with
fewer artificial ingredients
— notice the mint chocolate
chip isn’t green anymore?
— and new products, in-
cluding Greek yogurts and
ice cream bars are seeing
success.
A new line of super-pre-
mium ice creams, gelatos
and frozen custards was re-
leased this year.
“We think we can be
strong in anything dairy, as
long as we can bring some-
thing the consumer doesn’t
already have,” Criteser said.
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lenges are those of running
an operation that purchas-
es milk from its 97 dairy
make a profit for its owners.
When market prices for
milk are low, the challenge
is to increase profits for
farmer-owners at the sales
end. When prices for milk
are high, the challenge is to
increase sales or reduce oth-
er costs to maintain profits.
Tillamook’s
revenues
have grown by about 45 per-
cent in the past four years,
with profit growth exceed-
ing that pace, Criteser said.
The expanded earnings
have come with expanded
employment, up from about
650 four years ago to 850
this year in Tillamook and
in Boardman.
In 2014, the company
completed a 64,000-square-
foot expansion at its pro-
duction facility in Board-
man allowing it to increase
whey processing — a $95
million investment.
In addition, more than
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