Arla adds cottage cheese capacity

Danish dairy giant Arla¹s production of cottage cheese alone has increased by over 110% in the last five years, and to keep up with demand, Arla has plans to open Europe¹s largest cottage cheese dairy this autumn, in Falkenberg, Sweden. It will ship 29,000 tonnes of cottage cheese each year to countries all over Europe ­ enough to fill 230 fully-loaded average railcars). It will produce approximately 40 different cottage-cheeseproducts for the Swedish and Arla¹s other core markets like Denmark andFinland beginning in October.

The cottage cheese boom has come thanks to a general focus on healthier, higher-protein diets in recent years. A 2013 article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that a high protein breakfast, compared to a low protein one, can decrease the intake of unhealthy snacks in the evening. Cottage cheese can be a fast and convenient way to increase protein intake during breakfast.

Because it can be eaten throughout the day cottage cheese initially became popular with health enthusiasts, but has since gained a foothold with other consumers. For many of them, it has been about convenience: cottage cheese can be eaten directly from the container, or easily mixed with fruit, vegetables or even spices.