DAKOTA GROWERS PASTA

Dakota Growers Pasta Company (DGPC) is an agricultural cooperative that processes its members¡¦ durum wheat into flour and pasta products. The cooperative was incorporated on December 16, 1991 and became fully operational in 1994. By 1998, Dakota Growers was one of the five largest pasta producers in the United States, with facilities located in North Dakota and Minnesota. It has approximately 1,100 members located in North Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana. DGPC was one of the first successful new generation cooperatives in the 1990s. Their success has been an inspiration to others. Many new cooperatives have used DGPC as a model.

Questions & Answers
1. Market size and growth-
In 1998, the U.S. Department of Commerce reported that Americans had been increasing their pasta consumption at an annualized rate of between 2 to 3 percent for the past ten years. Changing lifestyles, increased availability of pasta sauces, increased attention of healthy eating and increased numbers of Ita...