Dairy sector

Burrata and stracciatella, emerging phenomena of Made in Italy

Growth has been exponential in a short time with production increasing by an average of 15% per year and exports by 30% to reach a value of 406 million euro

by Manuela Soressi

12 November 2024

Burrata e stracciatella da specialità pugliesi sono ormai prodotte in tutta Italia e diffuse nel mondo

3' min read

Key points

Mature Burrata, rampant stracciatella
Lactose-free and buffalo cheese
Export and Italian restaurants abroad

3' min read

They are the latest success story of Made in Italy: after years of strong growth, with a market that has quadrupled in the space of eight years and with exports now accounting for 29% of the value of production (source: Cerved), burrata and stracciatella are continuing to make their way in Italy and international markets. They are recording increasing sales (even in double figures) in modern distribution and are depopulating in restaurants and pizzerias, also abroad, where Italian exports exceed 406 million euros.

"Burrata and stracciatella are the most recent 'phenomenon' on the dairy scene," explains Massimo Forino, general director of Assolatte. In the five-year period 2018-2022, year-on-year, volume production grew by an average of 15% and exports by over 30% in real terms. Even today, overall demand remains buoyant, particularly in the out-of-home sector, which absorbs most of the production and where not only the goodness and freshness of these two cheeses, but also their gastronomic versatility, are exalted'.

Mature Burrata, stracciatella rampante

If in restaurants, burrata and stracciatella grow hand in hand, in retail they show different trends. Burrata has an already consolidated and more 'mature' market, while stracciatella is undergoing strong development. "Summing up the sales by imposed weight and those by variable weight, burrata is worth almost 80 million euro and is growing by +2% in value and 3% in volume per year, excluding discount stores where this cheese does not seem to attract the interest of customers," explains Elena Pezzotti of Niq. In the space of 12 months, it has leapt forward by 12% in value and 15% in volume, benefiting from a 2% drop in the average price".

So, it is a triumphant march that of burrata and stracciatella, born as 'creations' of the Apulian dairy art but now a national heritage. And not only because they are appreciated by consumers all over Italy (60% of the retail turnover of burrata and 54% of that of stracciatella are made in the northern regions), but also because production has also spread to other regions, exceeding 35 thousand tonnes for burrata alone, Cerved estimates.

Lactose-free and buffalo

Volumes are destined to grow, also thanks to the investments of many companies, such as Granarolo (see other article, editor's note), and the innovations introduced by many producers to differentiate themselves on the market: from Gioiella's lactose-free burrata to Granarolo's protein burrata, to the 100% buffalo milk burrata, which Fattorie Garofalo has focused on, and finally Sabelli's single-portion burratine. And the innovation continues.

"Our company boasts one of the largest burrata production chains in the world with a wide offer, ranging from the Andria Igp burrata to smoked burrata to revisited versions such as those with basil pesto or ground black truffle. This is how we are able to satisfy a strongly growing demand abroad, which develops 60% of our turnover in burrata,' says Andrea Brandonisio, Managing Director of the Gioiella Group, which will close 2024 with 170 million euros in revenues.

Behind these investments is not only the positive market trend. Also decisive is the added value of burrata and stracciatella, which make it possible to preside over the premium segment of the dairy market and to get out of the tussle over the queen of pasta filata cheeses, mozzarella, which in large-scale distribution grosses ten times more than the sum of these two dairy specialities.

Italian exports and restaurants abroad

The fact is that mozzarella has become so popular and global that it is now copied all over the world to the extent that local productions are beginning to increasingly undermine those from Italy. Instead, for burrata and stracciatella it is still the made in Italy that makes the difference and the promotion in Italian restaurants is crucial for the knowledge of these cheeses. The fact that they are associated with the tradition of Apulia is also a trump card given the growing international popularity of this region as a popular tourist destination.

There are many foreign markets to conquer or expand. Emblematic is the case of France, the first outlet market for Italian cheese production, where in the last year one out of every two consumers has tasted burrata and stracciatella. In fact, it is in Paris that many companies are concentrated, such as Latteria Montello, which acquired Italat France, a historic distributor of quality Italian products, with the aim of strengthening its presence in France, increasing the visibility and accessibility of its range.