What are the opening hours?

Monday 10am - 3pm Tuesday 10am - 3pm Wednesday 10am - 3pm Thursday 10am - 3pm Friday 10am - 3pm

Dairy Industry Association of Australia

Home
Australia
South Melbourne, VIC
Dairy Industry Association of Australia

DIAA offers dairy product makers networking, publications, education, conferences, product competitions and more. Find out more on www.diaa.asn.au.

29/07/2026

The latest issue of Australian Dairy Foods is out now!

Heading up our extensive pictorial coverage are the DIAA’s two major industry events, the DIAA Victorian Conference & Victorian Dairy Product Awards, together with the Australian Awards of Excellence. Read about all the winners.

Plus details of those who championed Australia on the world stage at the World Championship Cheese Contest in the USA and the International Cheese & Dairy Awards (ICDA), UK.

Our DIAA member profile is on Colin James – DIAA WA Branch Secretary and 2026 King’s Birthday Honours recipient.

We also highlight the achievements of 2026 Jack Scarr Medal recipient Bob Prince.

DIAA members can download a free copy of Australian Dairy Foods from the DIAA website Member Area. Happy reading!!!

28/07/2026

foodpro Melbourne on now!!!

The DIAA and key dairy industry suppliers are taking part in foodpro 2026 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) this week.

Connect with 450 industry players, including the DIAA, Intralox, Heat and Control and ifm who are shaping dairy food and beverage manufacturing in Australia.

Today’s sessions cover the big questions facing the industry, from automation and AI in formulation, to food loss and waste and closing the productivity gap on the factory floor.

Whether you're after guidance, collaboration or just expanding your network, it's your central meeting point on the floor.

The Demo Exchange featuring live demonstrations is where the machines do the talking! See equipment run live, including the Intralox conveyor system with CleanLock™ sprockets, Heavy-Duty Edge modular plastic belting (MPB) and ThermoDrive® belting with ZeroSplice™ technology that enables fast, easy belt connection – without field splicing. Together, they improve food safety, reliability, and maintainability across your operation.which avoids jams and offers significant hygiene benefits.

Watch processing and packaging equipment run in real time on the show floor and get straight answers from the suppliers standing next to it.

Free for all visitors from 10:00am–5:00pm today.

Hurry! Closes 3:00pm Wednesday!

24/07/2026

More world awards for Aussie cheese!

Australian cheeses have won even more awards at this year’s World Championship Cheese Competition in Wisconsin USA – touted as the world’s biggest cheese contest.

Australia completely dominated the Open Class: All Other Milk Cheese section, with Australia’s Buffalo and Camel Milk entries taking out all four top spots!

Spearheading the Aussies was Woodside Cheese Wrights from South Australia, with two Best in Class medals for its Kris Lloyd Artisan Lemon Myrtle Marinated Buffalo Feta and also for its stunning ‘Monet’ Flavoured Soft Goat's Milk Cheese.

Queensland’s Fresco Cheese from Burleigh Heads won Best in Class for its Fresco Mascarpone, while Berrys Creek Gourmet Cheese from Fish Creek, Victoria won two second place awards for its Tarwin Blue and Riverine Blue buffalo milk blue cheeses.

Fonterra Brands’ Wynyard team from Tasmania (now Lactalis-Mainland Dairy) won Best in Class, while Lactalis Mainland Dairy’s Stanhope team placed 3rd – both entering their NZMP Sharp Cheddar aged 6 months to 1 year.

Australian Consolidated Milk’s Team Girgarre placed second to the outright Cheddar winner with its very high scoring Aged Cheddar (as previously posted).

Floridia Cheese Chilli Pecorino placed 3rd in open competition in the Pepper Flavoured Cheese, Medium Heat category, with its entry scoring an astonishing 99.725 points.

Meanwhile, Summer Land Camels of Harrisville, Queensland placed third in the Open Class: All Other Milk Cheese with its Marinated Camel Cheese.

Once again, congratulations to all Australian competitors!

17/07/2026

NSW Dairy Product Competition entries close Tuesday 21 JULY!

Enter online at the DIAA website now!

Showcase your dairy products for a shot at DIAA Gold & Silver medals at NSW's most prestigious dairy product competition.

Our expert judges are waiting for your entries now!

See DIAA website Competitions page for online entry form.

10/07/2026

Oz cheese wins International honours!

Artisan cheesemaker, Berrys Creek Gourmet Cheese of Fish Creek, Victoria has won a swag of three Gold, two Silver and a Bronze medal at the UK's prestigious International Cheese & Dairy Awards (ICDA) in June.

In a David and Goliath battle among the world’s best, including other Australian cheeses, Berrys Creek Gourmet Cheese won Gold for Best Buffalo Milk Cheese – All Producers (International) for its Riverine Blue. Berrys Creek also won Gold for its Mossvale Blue and both Silver and Bronze for its Tarwin Blue.

Founders, Barry Charlton and Cheryl Hulls are absolutely thrilled with the results and the commitment of their entire team to maintain the world-class standards Berrys Creek Gourmet Cheese is known for.

Meanwhile, another Victorian artisan cheesemaker, Long Paddock Cheese from Castlemaine in the Victorian Goldfields region has won the title of Best Australian Cheese at the ICDA.

The award went to Long Paddock Cheese's international award-winning Banksia (a winner at Mondial du Fromage in Tours, France in 2025). Banksia is a semi-hard cheese made in the style of the traditional tommes of the French Alps.

Long Paddock Cheese also placed second in class to its Banksia cheese and also won a Silver Medal for its Driftwood soft cheese, bound in spruce bark made in the Alpine Vacherin style.

"We are so pleased for the whole team, from the farmer to the cheesemakers and the team who age our cheeses so carefully," said Long Paddock Cheese Co-Director Gaetan Chapon.

The win was also dedicated to former co-owner of Long Paddock Cheese and The Cheese School, Alison Lansley who sadly passed away in March.

03/07/2026

Congratulations to Victorian dairy products manufacturer, Australian Consolidated Milk (ACM) which achieved second place at the prestigious World Championship Cheese Contest in Wisconsin, USA recently.

The competition saw 3,375 dairy products from 25 countries, including 34 US states and territories.

ACM’s aged cheddar, known as Girgarre Cheddar – scored a near-perfect 99.065 out of 100 - placing second by a narrow margin out of 61 entries in its category.

ACM General Manager Quality, Glen Hamson, said the result was unexpected but a strong endorsement of the product and the process behind it.

“We entered the competition simply to benchmark ourselves and get feedback from international judges – we didn’t expect to come home with a silver medal,” he said.

What makes the achievement even more remarkable is ACM’s relatively recent entry into cheesemaking, producing its first cheese at its Girgarre facility in September 2020. The award-winning cheddar was made in June 2024.

Mr Hamson said to be recognised at this level within just four years of making cheese is something they’re really proud of.

Not surprisingly, the same cheese was named Champion Cheddar at this year’s Australian Dairy Awards of Excellence in Melbourne (see photos below). Well done ACM!!!

26/06/2026

The DIAA has partnered with foodpro, Australia's leading trade event for food processing, packaging and innovation, being held in Melbourne from 26–29 July.

foodpro brings together the people, technology and ideas shaping the future of food and beverage manufacturing in Australia. Other industry partners include the Australian Institute of Food Science & Technology and sponsor ifm.

For those working across the diary supply chain — from processing and packaging to operations and quality assurance — it's four days of live equipment demonstrations, expert-led sessions and valuable industry connection, all under one roof.

Everything that manufacturers of dairy products, cheese and milk powders need to future-proof their business will be on show at foodpro.

Find us in the Industry Hub alongside key industry bodies and partners throughout the event.

📅 26–29 July 2026
📍 Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre
🎟 Free to attend — register now at the foodpro website.

19/06/2026

An impressive lineup of industry speakers painted a positive picture of dairy’s future at this month's DIAA Tasmanian Conference in Launceston.

These included Nick Dobromilsky, one of the saviours of King Island Dairy, together with food industry luminary Nick Haddow, MD of Bruny Island Cheese and Kim Seagram AM, Chair of FementTas who spoke about the recently established FermentHQ®.

FermentHQ® is providing opportunities to develop dairy cultures, flavours and other products in a state-of-the-art facility in Launceston.

Instructive and at times amusing anecdotes on overcoming the challenges faced in establishing artisan dairy businesses were delivered by Ian Field of Tongola Cheese and Nicole Fulliver, Director of Grandvewe Cheese.

Ashli Booth, Regional Manager of Booth Transport gave an update on the company’s latest investment in its future in Tasmania with its impressive Quoiba transport facility.

Jessica Crowley, CEO of Bulk Nutrients spoke on Performance Under Pressure: Staying competitive in today’s market by being adaptable to changing market conditions.

David Dunn and Adam Bracken of TasTAFE spoke on TasTAFE’s range of new short skilled based courses providing pathways into the dairy industry and wider agricultural sector.

Rounding out the program was an update on National and DIAA Tasmanian membership by DIAA National President Doug Eddy.

Congratulations to the Tasmanian DIAA Committee for a most impressive conference, filled with many valuable take-home insights and exciting prospects for the future.

Thanks also to the sponsors that made this event possible, notably Platinum Sponsor Saputo; Silver Sponsors Booth Transport, Bega Group, Lactalis Mainland Dairy and IXOM; DIAA’s National Partners Ecolab, dsm-firmenich, Novonesis and Jasol; and general sponsor Biolflex.

12/06/2026

DIAA Tasmanian Dairy Product Awards

Congratulations to the winners of the DIAA Tasmanian Dairy Product Awards!

The rigorous technical judging yielded some familiar names from Tasmania’s finest dairy manufacturers, ranging from artisan to some of Australia’s top consumer brand names.(Major trophy winners below):

CHAMPION CHEESE
La Cantara – Cafe Con Leche, Semi hard cheese rubbed with coffee

RESERVE CHAMPION CHEESE
King Island Dairy– King Island Dairy Endeavour Blue, blue cheese

CHAMPION GOAT OR SHEEP DAIRY PRODUCT
The Wicked Cheese Company – Blue Shorn, Blue Cheese

CHAMPION DAIRY – OTHER DAIRY PRODUCTS
Bega Group – Betta Milk CREAMY, milk

RESERVE CHAMPION DAIRY – OTHER DAIRY PRODUCTS
Ashgrove Cheese – Ashgrove Farm Light Milk Carton, light milk
CHAMPION ICE CREAM

Nice Guy Eddie Gelato (Blac Fig) – Pistachio and Amaretto, Alcoholic Gelato

RESERVE CHAMPION ICE CREAM
Van Diemens Land Creamery – Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream.

Champions of the dairy and ice-cream judging are eligible for the 2026 Royal Tasmanian Fine Food Awards to be decided later this year.

Congratulations to all competitors for another quality display, and thanks especially to Judges led by Head Judge Rod Wyker and Stewards under the direction of Chief Steward Ross Matthews.

Cheese judges
• Rod Wyker
• Ashley McCoy
• Kerri Choo
• Dylan Gifford (Associate Judge)
Other Dairy & Ice Cream
• Sam Cutri (Head Judge)
• Carly Palmer
• Tim Gadischke
Stewards
• Ross Matthews (Chief Steward)
• Paul Leitch (Pantry Manager)
• Barry Hunt
• Barry Stubbs
• Sushila Desai

ENDS

09/06/2026

2026 Australian Dairy Awards of Excellence winners!

For those who missed it, the 2026 Australian Awards of Excellence were held at the Pullman on the Park, Melbourne on 28 May.

Berrys Creek Gourmet Cheese won the top accolades, with its famous Oak Blue taking the honours for Highest Scoring Cheese, also winning Most Outstanding Exhibit, Small Producer.

Cheese and milk categories provided the major battlegrounds, with Alba Cheese Company named Champion Cheesemaker with its Cherry Bocconcini, and Fresco Cheese’s Mascarpone named Most Outstanding Exhibit, Large Scale Producer.

In an unusual twist, Highest scoring milk was won by Maleny Dairies Lactose-free Full Cream Milk, with Gippsland Jersey taking home Highest Scoring Modified milk for its Gippsland Jersey Light Milk. Highest scoring unmodified full-fat milk went to Paris Creek Farms SA for their Katoomba Dairy Non-Homogenised 'Malai on Top' Milk.

Highest scoring flavoured milk went to Lactalis-Mainland Dairy for its Oak Milk Chocolate.

Lactalis-Mainland Dairy also won Best Bulk Butter with its Salted Butter and Highest Scoring Consumer Butter with its Western Star Cultured Butter.

Judge’s Choice award for Most Innovative Product In Show was won by Borghi's Dairy for its creamy white Del Bocia Buffalo Butter.

Most Successful Exhibitor, with a swag of awards across a range of categories, was the recently formed Lactalis-Mainland Dairy, comprising Lactalis Australia and Fonterra’s Mainland brands.

Congratulations to all successful exhibitors, and thanks to the judges, stewards and sponsors who made the event possible.

Address

DIAA Support Level 4, Suite 13/150 Albert Road
South Melbourne, VIC
3205

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 3pm
Tuesday	10am - 3pm
Wednesday	10am - 3pm
Thursday	10am - 3pm
Friday	10am - 3pm

Website

http://www.diaa.asn.au/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Dairy Industry Association of Australia posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Dairy Industry Association of Australia:

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in South Melbourne?