Bits & Pieces: Market data, new products and the big cheese at this years' U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
According to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board's 2001 Cheese Channel Volume Study, foodservice is the largest end-user of cheese, utilizing 43% of all cheese made in the United States. A mere 18% goes into food processing, while the remaining 39% is sold through retail channels. With that much cheese going into foodservice, cheesemakers need to be aware of what helps sell cheese on menus, and how they can assist their foodservice customers with effectively marketing cheese on menus.
A February 2003 Menu Enhancement Study by Dairy Management Inc., indicates that enhanced menu descriptions featuring cheese increase purchase intent. Specifically, highlighting the inclusion of cheese blends in menu items, as well as the use of romantic/sexy cheese descriptors (i.e., quesadilla with mouth-watering, creamy Monterey jack cheese), significantly increases purchase intent over similar products without the cheese marketing efforts.