INTERNATIONAL CHEESE MARKET

There is an ongoing contest for market share in the cheese world between the large multinational industrial dairies whose business strategy is all about developing bulk sales of modified modern cheese brands at the lowest possible cost, and small traditional and artisan cheese makers who are passionate about producing interesting cheese with regional character, flavor, aroma, and texture. An increasing number of consumers are fed up with bland and predictable industrial cheese and instead are demanding more natural cheeses produced by local farmstead and artisan cheese makers. This trend is growing as consumers become more aware of where their food comes from and the growing popularity of farmers markets. Despite this trend, the ancient skills of traditional cheese-making in many regions of Europe and the US are under serious threat of extinction from increasing government regulation. Soft and blue cheeses made from unpasteurized milk are particularly vulnerable to government regulations and their future is highlighted by organizations such as Slow Food and Oldways. Meanwhile leading retailers around the world continue to develop competitively priced private label brands to win market share. The risk of this growth is that it lacks transparency and compromises the producers equity in their brand.

About Will Studd

An international cheese specialist working with traditional cheeses for more than four decades, Will has done much to promote a greater understanding of where artisan and farmstead cheeses come from, how they are made, and why they matter. Author of two books and host and executive producer of the international TV series, Cheese Slices, he has championed the cause of cheese made from raw milk. In 2007 his contribution was recognised by the French government when he was awarded Officier of the French Ordre Merite Agricole.