Taleggio now competes with Camembert: France is the top importing country
Lombardy PDO exports grow by 11%, 67% of foreign sales are concentrated in Europe
3' min read
3' min read
It does not have the numbers of Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano, nor the notoriety of mozzarella on international markets. But in the Italian classification of PDO cheeses, it is in seventh place in terms of volumes produced. And in 2024 it posted an export growth of over 11%. Boom percentages.
The Taleggio PDO is a hidden gem of Lombardy's agricultural and food production. If it were a company, it would be described as a pocket-sized multinational: medium size, sparkling results on international markets. "Last year's figures testify to an important growth,' explains Lorenzo Sangiovanni, president of the Taleggio Protection Consortium based in Treviglio, in the province of Bergamo. 'There are countries that surprised us, such as Norway, or Spain, which in itself is also a great cheese producer. The credit for the growth in exports is mainly due to promotion activities, which we have significantly increased in the last couple of years, thanks also to the contribution of public funds. In particular, we have bet on the pairing of our cheese with local dishes, which therefore differed according to the country in which the campaign took place'.
The result is that now almost 30% of Taleggio production takes the foreign route. The European market absorbs 67% of exports, with France in first place among the importing countries: 'With over 465 thousand kilos of product sold,' says Sangiovanni, 'France is the most important market we have in terms of volume. Our competitors are soft cheeses with a washed rind, such as Camembert, to which we are competing well: Taleggio has a tastier flavour, of course, but it is also much more versatile in the kitchen'.
While holding its own against traditional French cheeses, Taleggio is also growing in Germany, the second most important foreign market for the PDO with 394,000 kilos of product sold in 2024, a good 82 tonnes more than the previous year.
The third market is the stars and stripes, where Treviglio PDO sells 362,000 kilos a year. "We are also growing in the USA,' says the president of the consortium, 'but naturally there is great uncertainty about the future of this market due to the threat of tariffs. Fortunately, our production times help us, because they allow us to adapt quickly to peaks or troughs in market demand: a wheel of Taleggio is ready for consumption after only 35 days but has a shelf life of 90 days, which makes us very flexible.
