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Global sales from cheese exports by country totaled US$30.4 billion in 2017.

Commodity Forwarders exports cheese all over the globe.

The State of Wisconsin is the largest dairy producer in the world (if it was considered its own country) followed by California and the rest of the collective United States. Thus, the United States is the largest global cheese producer. According to the U.S. Dairy Export Council Mexico is the dairy industry’s number one marker. Twenty-eight percent of all cheese exports are destine to Mexico. The top five U.S. cheese export markets are: Mexico, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and Central America. Globally, our main competitors are the European Union, with Germany being the greatest exporter of cheese and New Zealand. Our organization exports cheese primarily to Europe and Asia.  However, we send products to many other global destination as well.

The Gulf Council Countries (GCC) and mainland China continue to create opportunities for cheese exports as interest and cuisine develop abroad.  However, local diets still impact their understanding and demand for cheese. For example, in the United States the average person consumes about a pound of cheese per year compared to in China where the average citizen only consumes about 2 oz. a year because it has not been a part of their diet, they are unfamiliar with the commodity, and it has a flavor profile to which they are not accustomed. However, as any great cheese-love knows, once the desire for cheeses takes hold, emerging markets like China and others could see demand skyrocket as culinary changes trickle down from the affluent to the layperson and restaurants follow trends. When organizations export cheese we recommend they confirm they have the appropriate documentation, approved labels, and that the consignee has the respective permits/food quotas in place. The 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for cheese and curd is 0406.

With the cheese and dairy tariffs suddenly in the news, we at CFI are committed to working hard to help guide our shippers through the rules and regulations to keep you cargo in compliance.

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Some emerging cheese markets are a surprise to even the experts at CFI

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