Bongards Creameries promotes Dennis Thomas to CEO

USA – Bongards Creameries, a farmer-owned cooperative, has appointed Dennis Thomas, the current chief operating officer, as Chief Executive Officer effective Jan. 1, 2026.

According to the company, Thomas brings a wealth of industry experience to his new role. Before joining Bongards’, he held various general management positions at Dairy Farmers of America, Foremost Farms, Land O’Lakes, and Kraft Foods.

“We’re confident that Dennis, with his tremendous depth of experience and knowledge, will successfully lead Bongards into the future, building upon the growth and industry leadership that Daryl has achieved during his tenure,” Ziegler said, noting the company’s faith in Thomas’ capabilities to steer Bongards forward, ensuring continued success and innovation in the competitive dairy industry.

During his five-year tenure at Bongards’, Thomas has played a pivotal role in expanding operational efficiencies and increasing the company’s manufacturing capacity at its facilities in Humboldt, Tenn., and Bongards, Minn.

Dennis said, “I am honored to be appointed CEO of Bongards and being part of the talented team within this wonderful company. Having grown up on a farm in rural South Dakota, I look forward to serving our farmer-owners as we continue building on our positive momentum and delivering strong results.”

Bongards invests US$125M to expand its Perham plant

Recently, the company announced plans to invest $125 million in the expansion of its plant in Perham. The company stated that the investment will allow the plant to increase its capacity by 30%, processing 5.5 million pounds of milk per day after the expansion.

The new project is the latest in a series of improvements, which started with another major expansion of the Perham plant in 2015. Last year, its warehouse capacity was also increased, and this year, some of the plant’s equipment was replaced.

“With this latest investment, we will be able to continue supporting the growth of our business, allow our current farmer-owners to expand, and allow us to bring on new members,” said Bongards CEO Daryl Larson in the release. “In order to increase our milk intake by nearly a third, many aspects of the production process need to be expanded.”

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