Dennis Thomas Elevated to President/CEO of Bongards Creameries
Dennis Thomas has been appointed president/CEO of Bongards Creameries, a farmer-owned co-op and milk processor with dairy farmers in Minnesota and North Dakota.
Thomas, who will take over on Jan. 1, 2026, replaces retiring Daryl Larson, who has served as president/CEO since 2018.
Thomas’ background in the dairy industry includes general management roles with Dairy Farmers of America, Foremost Farms, Land O’ Lakes and Kraft Foods. Over the past five years, Thomas has been instrumental in expanding and driving operational efficiencies of the Bongards plants in Humboldt, Tenn. and Bongards, Minn.
About the Author
Dave Fusaro
Editor in Chief
Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.