“Cheese a la carte”

It’s true to say that few of the past 40 dairy years have been as turbulent as this past one or two, most especially in the specialist area of the cheese trade, whether as a cheese maker, or cheese seller.

We have the foodies and the faddists, the ones open to ideas, the others trying to direct it towards organic, low-fat and the like. The channels and routes to market have ruptured in the major retail areas, and the shopper now buys less but more often, as well as buying online.

If the real measure of success is pure volume growth then the continentals are surging ahead, and factors including exchange rate, greater availability and lower cost route to markets have brought their premium prices well below many British cheeses, making it most tempting to go continental. Comté and Manchego have been particularly popular, but now Ossau Iraty and the reinvigorated Gorgonzola are moving up. Buffalo Mozzarella is commonplace and Halloumi has exploded since 2013.

Rising living standards and greater disposable income can and will fuel speciality growth. Continental is the best example of that. Has anyone seen 50% off Comté or Buffalo Mozzarella? Buy one get one free on Roquefort? Yet still the markets for these cheeses grow at huge rates.

It’s true that many old favourites here are being devalued by poor quality options traded in from low-cost destinations with passable quality. Sadly, Feta is one example. The only PDO to sell less after its status creation than before. The quality makers use 90% sheep’s milk which is not the cheapest, but the law permits a 70% ewe’s milk option which are frequently hard and much more like Cheshire in brine.

Parmigiano Reggiano is under attack too, as a race to the bottom of the quality scale allows those who know the price of everything and the value of nothing to offer perfunctory cheese – not the greatest example of the Italian cheese makers’ art. Some of the 14 month offerings on the shelves of major retailer are appalling, which is often reflected in their poor market share. This is the Rolls Royce of cheese and no one expects it at a Lada price, except perhaps those who constantly miss the point of quality The Parmigiano Reggiano Consorzio is already making major moves to distinguish better cheese by only supporting the promotion of cheese aged over 24 months. But that is probably of limited effect, as the brand name and pre-eminence of premium Parmigiano will simply be hijacked to the confusion of customers, especially those who don’t know what the benchmark should be, and food service is already awash with product of minimum quality.

Sadly, when these major continental types become successful and create volume through hard-won efforts, the carpetbaggers appear quickly and diminish it. I wonder if they are helping to develop Ossau Iraty or other small-growth categories right now?

Happily, there will remain some committed to standards and in the vanguard of assisting, educating and serving the real cheese enthusiast. Doing the right thing rather than the easy thing is the true test of integrity.

Currently trending are softer modern blues and Brie, many ripening French-style cheeses, goats cheese and authentic developments of established cheeses which have lost their quality perception and tradition. Marketing is vital from the outset and it does not have to be ridiculously expensive, but it needs a clear vision which is stuck with – most overnight successes have years of hard work and commitment behind them.

There is generally a curious disparity in the operational scale of British speciality cheeses, which are often truly artisan in scale and foundation. However, for consumers these types are often matched with Continental styles, many of which are of substantial scale. This gives the latter deeper pockets to invest in marketing and NPD – a powerful driver of growth in the next two years, as size does matter in some sectors.

As always, quality does cost, and it’s important for retailers to avoid the lookey-likey fringe interlopers in key Continental categories.