Italy’s Grana Padano PDO Consortium reported 7.07% growth in exports in 2021, its best performance of the past decade.
If the last two years are taken into account, exports grew by a total of 10%.
According to the director general of the consortium, Stefano Berni, a total of 2.24 million wheels were exported – equivalent to 44% of Grana Padano's total output.
Top Markets
Germany still leads the top ten exporting markets, with 581,000 wheels exported (+3% on 2020), followed by France, with over 256,000 wheels (+8.3%), and the United States, with 171,000 (+15%).
However, the highest growth rate among the main importing countries was recorded in Belgium, with 97,000 wheels sold (+22.23%), making it the seventh-biggest export market.
The UK, on the other hand, saw an 11% drop, remaining in fifth position, at 127,000 wheels.
The Netherlands gained 7%, to eighth place, with 87,000 wheels, while Austria and Canada closed the top ten markets with 74,000 wheels (+5.5%) and 64,000 wheels (almost +4%), respectively.
In the same period, consumption growth in Italy slowed down, but it has not stopped.
Positive Trend
Initial data for 2022 confirms the continuation of this positive trend, with Grana Padano DOP production up by 13% in January, and by 4.6% in February.
The consortium plans to invest €34.5 million this year in promotion, in line with a strategy developed by KPMG to boost consumption through product repositioning and promotional investment.
Of this amount, €16.1 million has been earmarked for the most important food and beverage fairs in eight countries, with the largest share of investment going towards communication.
The target markets on which the consortium will focus its activities include Germany, France, Switzerland, the UK, Spain, Belgium, the USA and Canada.
Read More: Grana Padano, Parmigiano Reggiano Oppose Nutri-Score Labelling
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest fresh produce news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
