Domino’s holds a Worldwide Rally every two years to gather franchise owners and management from 50-plus countries to recognize their achievements and review future business growth plans. More than 9,000 people gathered recently in Las Vegas for this year’s Worldwide Rally.

Dairy farmers have been invited to this event over the years as a way of connecting all of the chain’s cheese use back to its true origins, our nation’s dairy farms. Joining me at this year’s Worldwide Rally were my farming peers Patty Bikowsky, New York; Robert Brouwer, New Mexico; Greg Conrad, Ohio; Kim Korn, Idaho; and Mary Temme, Nebraska.

Each Worlwide Rally has a theme, and this year’s was “Hungry For MORE.” I thought it was a great fit for Domino’s business strategy, but it also resonated well from our dairy farmer lens.

The dairy checkoff began a partnership with Domino’s in 2008. The food service partnership strategy with global leaders such as Domino’s, Taco Bell and McDonald’s has long delivered results for farmers through supporting innovative menu offerings using cheese and other dairy ingredients, as well as benefiting from these companies’ investments in advertising and trust-building efforts.

As a member of the National Dairy Board and chair of the innovation priority committee, I have watched the Domino’s partnership grow from its humble beginnings. Domino’s was seeking to expand its business and drive more consumers back to the quick-serve pizza category, and the checkoff provided a spark by helping to support innovation and marketing programs focused on making cheese the star of its pizza.

The rest, as they say, is history. Domino’s is now the largest pizza company in the world with more than 20,000 stores globally, and it recently announced very encouraging 2024 first-quarter performance results.

One of the enjoyable parts of this partnership is seeing the many ways Domino’s consistently innovates and is reaching consumers in meaningful ways. Domino’s leaders have famously said they are a tech company that sells pizzas, which is a very refreshing mindset to have in our technically advanced world. The “Dominoids” culture perfectly fits its desire to remain fresh and relevant.

And this innovation is not just happening domestically – it is happening in some international markets where Domino’s stores are using U.S.-sourced cheese on their pizzas.

Connecting to the farm

One of the best parts of the Worldwide Rally was the interaction we had with Domino’s executives, franchisees and general managers. They were filled with excitement and passion for their work, and we could certainly feel their appreciation for the important role our nation’s dairy farms play in helping them sell more pizza.

We also found parallels between farming and running a pizza business. Franchisees deal with labor challenges, rising input costs and an around-the-clock commitment to making sure they succeed. Like farmers, they understand the value of teamwork and everyone supporting a can-do attitude to get the job done.

The conversations also allowed us to explore more deeply with them about day-to-day farm life as it pertains to animal care and the environment. They had a genuine interest in hearing us explain how we reuse manure and water on our dairies and how our cows receive healthy diets, comfortable bedding and regular medical care.

I also shared a non-farm experience with them. I recently spoke at a high school in Wisconsin about my career as a dairy farmer. The school has a Domino’s across the street and orders 30 to 35 pizzas every day to serve on its a la carte line in the cafeteria. The pizza, of course, is a hit with students.

Having Domino’s in so many of our farming communities provides a very tangible proof point of our checkoff partnership with this powerful company. We see the cheese on their pizzas and we see the connection back to our farms.

Much of our checkoff strategy centers on driving innovation across the dairy category and identifying the next big thing. Innovation is the future of dairy, and our Domino’s partnership is a shining example of what can be accomplished.

More pizza equals more cheese sales, which equals more milk used.

So when Domino’s states it is hungry for more, I can say as U.S. dairy farmers, so are we.

This article was written by Wisconsin dairy farmer Randy Roecker, who is a National Dairy Board director.

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