There’s also a good chance this cheese came from New Zealand farmers, as nearly half the pizzas in China are topped with Fonterra mozzarella.
Thomas said Chinese consumers were often introduced to cheese through a food service channel.
“[They] will be visiting a big city and try a slice of pizza or a cheeseburger and hopefully they like it and then they want to consume it more often.
“They look for it in their hometown or they try and make it at home.”
As a result, cheese consumption in China had been on an upward trajectory for a while now, Thomas said.
“In the 15 years I’ve been working on cheese in China, the consumption per capita has grown from 50g per person to 150g.”
It wasn’t yet at New Zealand levels though, as Kiwis eat around 10kg of cheese per person per year, he said.
Although cheese is becoming more popular in China, marketing it hasn’t been without challenges.
This was mainly because it seemed foreign to Chinese consumers, Thomas said.
“They don’t really know what cheese is.”
He likened it to tofu consumption in New Zealand.
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“In New Zealand tofu’s good, but it’s not a common part of every Kiwi’s diet.
“But once people try it, they generally like it and they’re willing to try it again.”
The secret is to customise the product to appeal to consumers.
Thomas said local companies were doing a “great job” at this.
He said processed cheese slices were a good example.
“So, if you imagine … a Chesdale packet of individually wrapped slices you get in New Zealand… you’d put that in your kids’ lunch box.
“In China, they’re getting that slice of cheese and they’re putting it in things like on top of their bowl of noodles - so they’re consuming the same cheese but differently.”
Speaking of differently, what do cheese lollipops taste like?
“Imagine something that’s halfway between a cheesecake and a Yoplait Vigueur, or a CalciYum, on a stick,” Thomas explained.
“So yeah, it’s all a bit different from … your normal 1kg block that you’d see in New Zealand.”
