It’s not just our industry
The events I’ve been to in the last week have, on the face of it, little in common with each other. The first was the European Dairy Associations’ Congress in Stresa, Italy, where speakers ranging from Dr Jeremy Hill of the International Dairy Federation, to Jim Higgiston, with the US Department of Agriculture, spoke on the challenges and opportunities facing the global dairy market, as well as Europe’s place within it. The second was a tasting event in London, sponsored by Cattier champagne, featuring pairings of champagne with British cheeses, with the British Cheese Board.
At the EDA, the discussion was about the growth in demand for dairy, and the areas where growth is possible, and what companies can do to expand their dairy offerings into markets where dairy consumption is low. The conference examined the TTIP, which is currently wrestling with the issue of PDOs and their place in US-EU trade.
At the tasting, the growth market of Asia is Japan, where Cattier now sells nine million bottles, making it the fourth largest market for the firm in export. The spokesperson for Cattier told the assembled when the company first started selling champagne there, it was assumed that the numbers would never be great, because the populace wouldn’t like the taste of these types of alcoholic drinks, having been used to sake. Sound familiar? Just replace that with “lactose intolerance.”
Basically, there is always going to be someone who is going to say it can’t be done – people don’t like change, it’s too strange a taste for the local population, and even, biologically, their systems can’t handle it. Like anywhere, that will indeed be true for a small portion of the population. Lactose intolerance does occur, as does intolerance to alcohol.
But like the 11th generation family champagne firm, dairy companies big and small have to go find new markets for their output, whether it be the US, South America or Asia.
The majority of people will come to enjoy champagne (if they don’t already), and having a nice bit of cheese on the side will work wonders in selling both products. It’s about offering something a bit outside the usual fare. As for me, I’ll take my Tasty Lancashire with a glass of bubbly in the future.
