The general situation in 2006

Comté continues its growth. In 2006, 45,770 tons of cheese were sold by maturing houses, against 40,609 in 2000 and 36,329 in 1995. At the start of the 1990s, this figure was below 30,000 tons (29,402).
Two main phases can be distinguished in this growth. First of all, between 1990 to 1996, there was an increase of 8,976 tons at an annual rate of 1,500 tons.
Comté then benefited from a combination of factors stimulated by the CIGC: profitable investments in research and quality improvement, effective inspection procedures and an approach to publicity that was appropriate and well-funded.
During this period, Comté became a standby cheese to be found on all supermarket shelves.
The second phase was from 1996 to 2006, when overall growth slowed to 7,391 tons, corresponding to 739 tons per year.
In the markets, the proportion of supermarket sales continued to grow.
Lastly from 1995, Comté began to develop external markets (see below).

> Key figures

45,770 tons: sales from maturing houses in 2006 (against 40,609 in 2000).

€ 10.16: average price per kilo of Comté (€ 9.70 in 2002).

47 %: percentage of French households buying Comté in 2006 (40.7 in 2002).

2 kg: average annual weight of Comté bought per household in 2006.

5.3: number of individual purchases made by each Comté buying household per year.

0.38 kg: average weight of Comté per purchase.

83.7 %: the proportion of supermarket sales in 2006 (65.4 % in 1990). Within this sector, after strong growth (13.1% in 2005), cut-price stores declined (11.5% in 2006).

33.7 %: the proportion of sales in the Central-Eastern region of France, ahead of Paris (17.2%), and followed by the West and the South-East.

Top of the page p

Evolution by annual milk production

Production increases every year: from 1996 to 2006, there was an increase of 8,118 tons, or 15.9%.

Top of the page p

Evolution of sales

There has been steady growth in sales from the maturing houses, reflecting a dynamic marketing drive: since 1991 sales of Comté have been rising, as shown in the graph below: :

This growth is the result of a combination of factors, no single one of which stands out as having had a major effect. However, two main phases in this growth can be identified:  

> from 1990 to 1996: an increase of 8,976 tons, corresponding to growth of about 1,500 tons every year.
During this period, Comté benefited from a combination of factors: due to investments in research and quality improvement, the creation of effective inspection procedures and finally a more rational and better funded approach to publicity, sales rose significantly.
Sales of pre-packed cheese in supermarkets grew without affecting sales at cheese counters. Comté’s following was such that it began to be found on most supermarket shelves, where it has become a standard feature, explaining the growth in this segment of 123 % in six years, which has also enabled Comté to improve its position in the other market segments:

	1990	1996
Meules	21 609 T	22 210 T
Coupe préemballée	1 717 T	3 245 T
Portions	4 120 T	9 209 T
Fonte IST (industrie de seconde transformation	1 955 T	3 719 T

> from 1996 to 2006: an increase of 7,391 tons, corresponding to growth of about 739 tons every year, which is about half as much as during the previous period.
This growth was harder to achieve. It was largely due to increased supermarket sales, but sales of pre-packed cheese did not fully compensate for the decrease in sales at the cheese counter.

	1996	2006
Meules	22 205 T	16 670 T
Coupe préemballée	3 245 T	8 076 T
Portions	9 209 T	16 852 T
Fonte IST	3 719 T	4 173 T

Concerning export: from 1995, in order to maintain growth, the industry invested substantially in promoting Comté outside of France, thereby contributing to the overall increase in sales (see the four main export markets below). These increases in volume, whilst satisfying, are nevertheless slow and demonstrate that, realistically, export sales for a cheese such as Comté will always have to be seen in the long term, since they involve creating loyalty in an already limited clientele that is looking for products that offer flavour and are typical of a country or region.

Finally, it should be noted that Comté’s growth during this second phase has come against the rise in popularity of other cheeses, such as Gruyère which, being cheaper, has gained market share, particularly in discount stores.

It should also not be forgotten that this growth has taken place in a market that has been generally unfavourable concerning cheese consumption, in which consumers are increasingly advised to reduce intakes of animal fats.

Top of the page p

Market Structure, on the basis of the SECODIP consumer panel

> Comté Total (2001 / 2006):

> At cheese counters (2001 / 2006):

> Pre-packed cheese (2001 / 2006):

Marginal and confined to a relatively small percentage during the 1980s (of the order of 15 %) sales of pre-packed cheese have seen strong growth since 1990, equalling cheese counter sales in 2000, and surpassing them in 2001.
The explanation for the dynamic growth of pre-packed Comté is two-fold:
- the general rise of pre-packed foods
- the adoption by distributors of house brands of Comté, which enabled an increase in the product range.

Top of the page p

Distribution of consumption by distribution channel

Over the past fifteen years the relative importance of Comté’s traditional market has sharply declined. Supermarkets now account for more than 80% of Comté sales.

Top of the page p

Regional distribution of Comté consumption

There has been a gradual “de-regionalization” of the market: a corollary of the rise of pre-packed Comté has been an increase in sales in regions further from Franche-Comté. However, western France is till lagging behind in terms of consumption.

Top of the page p

Characteristics of Comté consumers compared to the rest of the French population

Top of the page p

Comté’s four main export markets

> Germany and Belgium: two growth markets

Germany + Belgium = 1991 tons of Comté exported in 2005. These exports were handled by twelve businesses in the industry (1). A figure to be considered in the context of the total production of Comté, which is some 50,000 tons. These markets have been explored for several years by various companies and are supported in terms of marketing and promotion by the CIGC.

A study of market awareness of Comté and its image was carried out in Belgium in 2005. The cheese market is highly developed and consumers are generally well-informed. Consumption is family based, and particularly concerns the French population. Comté has to compete with four other products that appear to be very well established in Belgium: Gouda, Gruyère, Camembert and Brie.
Among those questioned, 57% said that they bought Comté, and of these 26% said that they bought it regularly. Lack of recognition of the product remains an issue, particularly for non-French speakers.
Comté benefits from a good image but suffers stiff competition from Gruyère. It is perceived as “a cheese for special occasions”, which, while positive, has a limiting effect on its daily consumption.

In Germany, Comté has a good presence in the Länder, or provinces, that stretch the length of the Rhine. Comté has also found particular favour among the southern provinces such as Bade-Wurtenberg and Bavaria, the latter being a cheese producer. Comté can be found virtually everywhere in all the distribution channels.
German consumers’ habits are particularly well matched to Comté. Those who like cheese will generally eat it every other day, or more often, at any meal and especially for breakfast (25%). Consumption is greater among women, increases with age, and remains significant in the family environment.
The typical German consumer of Comté is generally interested in food, likes to cook and to eat healthily, also eats organic and regional products, has been to France and enjoys a good standard of living.
In terms of promotion and marketing, 2006 saw a general review of strategy in Germany and Belgium in order to give new momentum to the export initiative.

(1) This tonnage does not take into account exports through wholesalers, notably through Rungis, who have regular exchanges with Belgium and Germany.

> The United States

The CIGC has provided aid for the sale of Comté on the American market since 1983. These initiatives were reinforced in the nineties, with the setting up of publicity programmes involving the creation/distribution of communication aids, the organization of talks, tasting and press events, and a regular presence at several trade shows such as the Fancy Food Shows.
The last five years have seen a healthy rise in exports to the USA. Initially present in the larger eastern and western cities, in speciality food stores, Comté is now developing its presence all over America through supermarket chains.

> Japan

Involvement with Japan has been comparatively recent, underpinned by the opportunity for Comté to join the European programme in 2004 promoting AOP regional products in Japan.
The CIGC has mainly developed a public and press relations programme, in parallel with the creation of teaching aids aimed at improving knowledge of cheese in general and in particular of Comté.
Japan remains a limited, image based market, which provides Comté with a showcase in Asia.

Top of the page p