State of global marketing: new international products and how they are marketed

Dairy Foods, Oct, 2004 by Donna Berry

Also in London, La Fromagerie wits founded in 1991 by Patricia Michelson, who turned her garden shed into a cheese cave and introduced properly matured farmhouse cheeses sourced direct from small independent cheesemakers to an eager public. The business has emerged as a major player in the cheese world, with its stylish unconventional shop a window for the best kept cheeses and other specialty foods from Europe.

In the United States, specialty or artisan cheeses are defined (though not legally) as value-added products that command a premium price. According to the Wisconsin Specialty Cheese Institute, the nature of specially cheese is derived from one or more unique qualities, such as exotic origin, particular processing, design, limited supply, unusual application or use, and extraordinary packaging or channel of sale. All specialty cheeses definitely have one thing in common--they are of the highest quality.

What's the Count?
Dairy Introductions Around the World

                          2001     2002     2003     2004 *

Asia-Pacific
  Cheese                    122      129      147      107
  Chilled Desserts           96      177      129       94
  Frozen Novelties          180      257      340      190
  Milk                      182      371      431      378
  Yogurt                    261      335      230      260

  Total **                1,149    1,695    1,717    1,287

Europe
  Cheese                    750      850      979      891
  Chilled Desserts          391      389      499      387
  Frozen Novelties          299      403      373      370
  Milk                      279      310      324      344
  Yogurt                    830      955    1,234    1,000

  Total **                3,371    3,787    4,366    3,639

Latin America
  Cheese                     44       26       98       64
  Chilled Desserts           17       23       27       49
  Frozen Novelties            6       35       43       51
  Milk                       59       70      114      102
  Yogurt                     63       78       94      123

  Total **                  268      370      684      603

Middle East and Africa
  Cheese                     69       97      149       65
  Chilled Desserts           10       18       52       23
  Frozen Novelties           20       30       46       27
  Milk                       17       45       73       32
  Yogurt                     45       81      125       52

  Total **                  233      377      586      291

North America
  Cheese                    292      416      348      174
  Chilled Desserts          103       80       82       32
  Frozen Novelties          147      165      201      188
  Milk                      186      156      155      112
  Yogurt                    163      196      244      193

  Total **                1,589    1,650    1,762    1,375

* From January 1 to August 20, 2004

** Includes butter, cultured dairy, dessert toppings, packaged ice
cream, etc.

Source: Mintel's Global New Products Database