This report looks at the following areas:
- The impact of the cost of living crisis on the cheese market
- The growth of the Irish cheese industry
- Opportunities for improved sustainability practices
- The impact of the conflict in Ukraine
- Inspiration of social media trends on consumers cheese use.
The cost of living crisis helped stimulate greater use of cheese for cooking; and packed lunches as consumers have sought to reduce their spending via foodservice outlets.
Brian O’Connor, Category Director – Irish Reports
Market Definitions
For the purposes of this Report, when discussing the cheese market, this includes:
- Fresh cheese and cream cheese
- Hard cheese and semi-hard cheese
- Soft cheese and semi-soft cheese
- Processed cheese
- Block cheese is used to describe cheese such as cheddar, Brie and blue cheeses and any other type that comes in a block format
- Packet cheese and cheese spreads are processed cheese that are not classified as natural cheese, such as Dairylea
- Specialty cheese refers to cheeses such as artisan cheese and also includes lactose-free cheese products.
The market size does not include sales of spreadable cheeses. Sales via catering or foodservice establishments are excluded.
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Executive Summary
- Opportunities for the cheese market
- Cost of living driving greater use of own-label
- Healthy cheeses for a healthy gut
- Provenance continues to be a strong motivator
- Market dynamics and outlook
- The five-year outlook for cheese
- Increase in prices boost value of market
- Growth for 2024-29 expected to slow down
- Graph 1: estimated retail sales of cheese, by value sales, 2019-29
- Easing inflation might relax food budgets
- Graph 2: CPI inflation rate, 2019 -24
- Cheese prices see strong growth 2021-24
- Graph 3: Consumer Price Index of cheese & curd products, 2021-24
- Consumer sentiment improving
- Graph 4: current financial situation trend data, June 2022-24
- Own-label used to stay on budget
- Health-conscious consumers see cheese as nutritious…
- Milk prices fluctuating
- What consumers want and why
- A third eat cheese 2-3 times per week
- Graph 5: frequency of consumers’ cheese consumption/use, 2024
- Irish consumers strong cheese consumers
- Cheddar remains a favourite
- Graph 6: types of cheese bought in the last three months, 2024
- Gen Xers & Baby Boomers key cheddar users
- Cheese in sandwiches remains popular
- Cheese in sandwiches sees strong use across most generations
- Gut-boost cheese holds strong appeal
- Digestive health on cheese eaters’ radar
- Animal welfare important
- Desire for healthy cheeses
- Working consumers show interest in healthier benefits for cheese
- Graph 7: agreement that cheese that offers health benefits is appealing, by work status, 2024
- Farmers continue to be front of mind for Irish consumers
- Innovations
- Cheese releases 2019-24
- Graph 8: total new cheese product releases, 2019-24
- Most common type of new cheese product launches
- Smoked cheeses continue to be the most common flavour in new releases
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Market Dynamics
- Market size
- Increase in prices boosts value of market
- Graph 9: Estimated retail sales of cheese, by value sales, NI and RoI, 2019-24
- Budgeting constraining growth
- Graph 10: consumers who stick to a food budget, by frequency, 2021-24
- Market forecast
- Growth for 2024-29 expected to slow
- Graph 11: estimated retail sales of cheese, by value sales, 2019-29
- Inflation slowdown will aid growth
- Market drivers
- Easing inflation might relax food budgets
- Graph 12: CPI inflation rate, 2019-24
- Consumer financial sentiment improved somewhat
- Graph 13: current financial situation trend data, 2022-24
- Inflation and the cost of living is slowing, but Irish consumers do not believe this to be the case
- Graph 14: how consumers rate their current financial situation compared to 12 months previously, 2024
- Cheese prices have seen growth ease off
- Graph 15: Consumer Price Index of cheese & curd products, 2021-24
- Food and drink prices continue to fall
- Graph 16: issues faced in the last two months trend data, 2022-24
- Stable cheese prices do not necessarily mean stable cheese consumption
- Own-label food products are increasing in popularity
- Convenience plays a role in the type of cheese consumers purchase
- Health-conscious consumers see cheese as nutritious
- Consumers are starting to demand that companies ethically source their ingredients
- The supply of milk for cheese is dwindling in NI & RoI, which will affect prices
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What Consumers Want and Why
- Frequency of cheese consumption
- A third eat cheese 2-3 times per week
- Graph 17: frequency of consumers’ cheese consumption, 2024
- Usage remains consistent from 2020-24
- Graph 18: consumers who typically use cheese 2-3 times a week, 2020-24
- Types of cheese purchased
- Cheddar continues to be a favourite
- Graph 19: types of cheese bought in the last three months, 2024
- Mature consumers exhibit stronger cheddar usage
- Graph 20: consumers who have bought cheddar in the last three months, by generational groups, 2024
- NI consumers more likely to use processed cheeses
- Graph 21: consumers who have bought processed cheese in the last three months, by age of children, 2024
- Cheese fortified with vitamin D could attract parents
- RoI women show stronger usage of continental cheeses
- Specialty cheese can offer an affordable at-home treat
- Ways consumers use cheese
- Cheese continues to be a popular sandwich component
- Graph 22: ways that cheese has been eaten/used in the last three months, 2024
- High usage of cheese in sandwiches across all consumer types
- Graph 23: consumers that have eaten cheese with bread, by generations, 2024
- Seeking something different
- NI consumers more likely to cook with cheese
- Graph 24: consumers who have used cheese to cook a hot meal in the last three months, by gender, 2024
- Enticing Irish women with new ways to cook with cheese
- Snacking a key area
- Cheese behaviours
- Gut-boost cheese holds strong appeal
- Younger consumers more interested in gut health
- Graph 25: consumer interest in cheese with added ingredients promoting gut health, by age group, 2024
- Consumers seeking to bolster their immune systems
- RoI consumers show stronger concern for animal welfare
- Graph 26: consumer willingness to pay more for high-animal-welfare cheeses, by region, 2024
- Happier cows; less guilt for cheese eaters
- Curiosity about raw cheese
- Attitudes towards cheese
- Desire for healthy cheeses
- Workers more likely to find healthy cheeses appealing
- Graph 27: agreement that cheese that offers health benefits is appealing, by work status, 2024
- Scope to help with burnout?
- Supporting farmers a key motivator to spend more
- Graph 28: agreement that it has never been more important to support local cheese/dairy producers, by generations, 2024
- Mature consumers respond to provenance
- Graph 29: consumers who view being made in Ireland important when shopping in specialist/artisan food stores, by age groups, 2023
- RoI consumers more concerned with environmental impact compared to NI consumers
- Environmental factor appeals more to younger consumers
- Graph 30: agreement that there needs to be more information on the environmental impact of cheese production, by age group, 2024
- Cheese needs to embrace sustainable practices
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Competitive landscape
- Companies and brands
- Carbery – key facts
- Carbery – new cheese releases
- Carbery – recent developments
- Cashel Blue Farmhouse Cheesemakers – key facts
- Cashel Blue – new cheese releases
- Cashel Blue – recent developments
- Dale Farm – key facts
- Dale Farm – recent developments
- Dairygold – key facts
- Dairygold – recent developments
- Tirlán (formally Glanbia) – key facts
- Recent developments
- Saputo Dairy – key facts
- Saputo Dairy UK – new cheese releases
- Saputo Dairy – recent developments
- Bel Group – key facts
- Bel Group in UK & RoI – new cheese releases
- Bel Group – recent developments
- Lactalis Group – key facts
- Lactalis Group – new cheese releases
- Lactalis group – recent developments
- Mondelez International – key facts
- Mondelez International – new cheese releases
- Mondelez International – recent developments
- Ornua Foods – key facts
- Ornua Foods – new cheese releases
- Ornua Foods – recent developments
- Arla Foods – key facts
- Arla Foods – new cheese releases
- Arla Foods – recent developments
- Norseland – key facts
- Norseland – new cheese releases
- Norseland – recent developments
- Savencia Fromage & Dairy – key facts
- Savencia Fromage & Dairy – new cheese releases
- Savencia Fromage & Dairy – recent developments
- Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses – key facts
- Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses – new cheese releases
- Launch activity and innovation
- Cheese releases, 2019-24
- Graph 31: total new cheese product releases, 2019-24
- Brands with most new cheese releases in UK & RoI
- Cathedral City continues to produce the most new cheese products since 2021
- Most common type of new cheese product launches
- Harder cheeses continue to be the most-produced cheese product
- Cheese format
- New cheese releases with different formats, 2024
- 87% of new cheese releases have been produced by own-label brands since 2019…
- …but new cheese product innovation has reduced since then
- New, innovative products throughout the cheese industry in 2024
- Own-label brands are innovating the most new cheese releases…
- …however, non-own-label cheese suppliers produce a higher percentage of innovative products than own-label
- Flavoured cheese is becoming more common among new releases
- Graph 32: flavoured new cheese releases in overall cheese market, 2019-23
- Most common flavours in new cheese releases
- Smoked cheeses continue to be the most common flavour in new releases
- Most consumers see own-label cheese as the same quality as branded
- Most common claims for new cheese releases in UK & RoI
- Ethical claims are most common among new cheese releases
- Plant-based claims see the largest increase since 2019
- New, innovative plant-based cheese releases
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Appendix
- Supplementary data
- Market size and forecast: underlying data
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Methodology
- Consumer research methodology
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