Australia’s appetite for cheese is not diminishing with the latest data from Roy Morgan Research showing 73.6 per cent of grocery buyers in Australia purchase at least one type of cheese every month.

• Block cheese is the most popular option with 55.1 per cent of grocery buyers buying it at least once a month.
• Sliced cheese follows with 36.8 per cent choosing this option.
• Cheese snacks and cheese portions are the least popular option; only 5.7 per cent of buyers purchase these every month.

Type of cheese bought by Australian grocery buyers in an average four weeks

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia), October 2015-September 2016, n=14,416

Cheese choices and consumer types: key statistics

Roy Morgan found the following about different consumer types and their cheese purchasing habits:

• New Zealand and British-born Australians are 23 per cent more likely than the population average to buy block cheese in an average four weeks.
• Asian-born Australians are 72 per cent less likely to buy block cheese in an average four weeks.
• Block cheese is popular among Australian’s ‘foodies’ who enjoy cooking
• Sliced cheese is especially popular among Australians who don’t enjoy cooking.

Different kinds of cheese buyers: how they differ

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia), October 2015-September 2016, n=14,416. Base: Australian grocery buyers 14+ (except BMI, which is grocery buyers 18+)

Norman Morris, Industry Communications Director at Roy Morgan Research, said cheese manufacturers need to make sure they are targeting their products at the right demographics.

“Cheese buyers are a diverse bunch, and in today’s gradually shrinking cheese market, brands need to ensure that they are marketing their various cheese products to the right target audience,” Morris said.

“For example, a quick glimpse at the table above confirms that a grocery buyer who purchases soft cheese is focused on entirely different aspects of the culinary experience than someone who buys shredded cheese,” he stated.

Share