In 2021, the production of Gorgonzola PDO showed a very positive trend. About 5,258,828 cheese wheels were produced from January to December, growing by +3.11% compared to 2020 (equal to 158,405 more wheels).
The growth, constant since 2008, in 2021 more than doubled compared to the last two years. In fact, 74,638 more wheels were produced in 2020 compared to 2019 (+1.49%). The increase concerns the entire consortium territory, between Lombardy and Piedmont. The Piedmontese provinces realized more than two-thirds of the production.
Gorgonzola PDO Piccante (spicy Gorgonzola) is increasingly meeting with consumer approval. In fact, 13% of total production was destined for this type of cheese with an increase of +18.81% compared to 2020.
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EXCELLENT NEWS FROM EXPORTS
As for exports, from January to September 2021 more than 1.5 million wheels crossed Italian borders (1,507,416) growing by +5.4% compared to the same period in 2020.
EU countries are still the main market for Gorgonzola PDO. Germany is the top importing country (429,435 wheels as of September 2021), followed by France (342,876), and Spain (96,895). Exports to the United Kingdom continued to fall last year (by -42% in the first nine months), following the country’s exit from the EU.
In the rest of the world, the United States is now the leading country in terms of export volume with 24,095 wheels imported (+29.80%), ahead of Japan (22,908), and Australia (22,154).
“We have been working for years to make our unique product better known, focusing on quality and on correct and transparent information,” says Antonio Auricchio, president of the Gorgonzola Consortium. “We still have important margins for growth, continuing to focus on new foreign markets and on involving young people, who show their appreciation for Gorgonzola cheese, while maintaining the high-quality level of our product”.
Particularly interesting are the three-figure increases in sales in countries such as Norway, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic, which may represent new outlet markets for the consumption of Gorgonzola PDO.