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Organic Valley’s business was “never better than now,” coming off of its first billion-dollar year and riding the “biggest surge in the market we’ve ever seen,” CEO George Siemon says.

“At 27 years, you’d think the surges would be over,” Siemon said during a press breakfast Thursday before addressing more than 500 farmer members at the La Crosse Center during the annual meeting of the La Farge-based Cooperative Regions of Organic Producer Pools that is Organic Valley’s umbrella.

Instead, organic products are finding their way onto shelves in increasing numbers of general merchandise grocery stores, as well as the big-box outlets such as Costco, Siemon said.

“Everybody in the food business is falling over each other to see who can be the most organic,” he said.

Costco has become the leading retailer for Organic Valley’s family of products, he said, adding, “The good news is that consumers are reacting. Consumers used to buy just milk and yogurt.”

Now, customers want other organic dairy products, such as butter, cream and cottage cheese, as well as organic meats and produce, Siemon said.

“It’s a lifestyle change all the way through,” he said.