Eimear O’Donnell, Food and Beverage Division, Bord Bia-Irish Food Board

Against a backdrop of on-going austerity, the domestic market for Irish Farmhouse Cheese continues to show solid growth. While the Irish market is hugely important, exports will be fundamental to securing significant growth for Irish farmhouse and speciality cheese producers going forward.

The Irish Farmhouse Cheese market is valued at over €4m to July 2012, an increase of 43% year on year (y.o.y).  Growth on the Irish market is being driven by an increase in the number of households purchasing farmhouse cheese, along with an increase in purchase frequency according to Kantar Worldpanel.  Seasonality is an important factor in farmhouse cheese sales, with sales peaking over the Christmas period.  Segments showing growth include cheeseboards (+15% y.o.y), soft cheeses (+5% y.o.y), and brie (+2% y.o.y). 

Building on the success of the domestic market, Bord Bia is committed to developing an in-depth export strategy for the farmhouse and speciality cheese sector in response to increased milk supplies in the absence of milk quota’s post 2015.  This strategy will be phased, focussing on an assessment of industry capability followed by a market analysis to identify growth opportunities in the UK and US markets, with a target completion date of May 2013. 

For further information on the farmhouse cheese export strategy, please contact Eimear O’Donnell – eimear.odonnell@bordbia.ie or tel 01 6142267.