Italian PDO and PGI cheeses are taking center stage at the G7 summit in Apulia, which runs until June 16th. To mark the occasion, AfiDOP—the association representing Italian geographic indication cheese producers—is participating in the Fiera del Levante in Bari. They are joined by the Consortia of Asiago PDO, Burrata di Andria PGI, Gorgonzola PDO, Grana Padano PDO, Mozzarella di Bufala Campana PDO, Parmigiano Reggiano PDO, Pecorino Romano PDO, Piave PDO, Quartirolo Lombardo PDO, Salva Cremasco PDO, and Taleggio PDO. The event features tastings within the pavilion of the Ministry of Agriculture.
“This is an unmissable opportunity,” says Antonio Auricchio, President of AfiDOP, “to offer international guests a taste of Italy’s dairy excellence, the leading category for revenue among Italian geographic indications, with €5.2 billion in production in 2022. This sector drives national exports: with 254,000 tons exported in 2023, geographic indication cheeses account for around 60% of Italy’s total cheese exports, valued at nearly €3 billion (+11%).”
SALES OF ITALIAN PDO AND PGI CHEESES
Exports of Italy’s PDO and PGI cheeses grew by over 4% globally in 2023. Growth was higher (+5%) within the EU, while non-EU markets saw a 3% increase. Leading this trend were Grana Padano PDO, Parmigiano Reggiano PDO, and Pecorino Romano PDO in key markets such as Japan and the United States, where PDO cheese exports reached 30,000 tons in 2023.
The start of 2024 has shown further growth. January saw notable increases for Grana Padano PDO and Parmigiano Reggiano PDO (+25% in volume), Gorgonzola PDO (+7%), Pecorino Romano PDO (+4%), and grated hard PDO cheeses (+16%).