Shoshone, Idaho's, 4 Brothers Dairy -- owned and operated by Andrew, Jerome, Clem and Louie Fitzgerald -- was awarded Glanbia's highest honor, 2012 Quality Patron of the Year at Glanbia's December annual awards banquet.

The brothers have been perennial winners of Glanbia's quality awards and were the recipients of the 2011 Idaho Milk Quality Award from the United Dairymen of Idaho.

This annual award rotates between small, medium and large dairies each year. This year, 4 Brothers Dairy was selected from the large category with 10,000 cows. This dairy has been supplying milk to Glanbia since 1986.

"As we have grown in size and technology has developed, we have never sacrificed milk quality over the years," Andrew Fitzgerald, one of the brothers/partners, said in a press release. "In fact, the quality of milk we produce today even surpasses Glanbia's high quality standards. We're pleased to be recognized for the care our employees show to our cows that, in turn, produce some of the very best milk in Idaho," he said.

In order to be recognized for this award, Glanbia's milk suppliers must meet strict quality standards over 12 months, paying close attention to all facets of dairy operations.

"4 Brothers Dairy keeps animal care a priority in their operations through preventative health care, vaccinations, corral maintenance and quality, caring employees," Russ De Kruyf, director of milk procurement at Glanbia, said in the release.

"The cow care they exhibit translates into the production of superior quality milk we're proud to include in Glanbia cheeses," he said.

As winners, the Fitzgerald brothers received all-expense paid tickets to Ireland, Glanbia's headquarters.