As consumer tastes get ever more sophisticated and demand for premium products grows, China's market consumption is upgrading and cheese – once considered a niche product – is rapidly making its way into the lives of ordinary consumers in East China's Shanghai.

The first China (Shanghai) Cheese and Culture Festival, which kicked off in  Shanghai on Aug 31, showed a diverse selection of cheese from around the world, stirring up interest among consumers.

The China Cheese Consumption Trend report was released for the first time at the festival. Statistics showed that the restaurant industry leads the way in cheese sales in China, with a total of 163,200 metric tons sold in 2022 alone.

Cheese with afternoon tea is a new fashion among young people in Shanghai. [Photo/Shanghai Observer]

As a global culinary hub, Shanghai boasts over 13,000 international cuisine restaurants, with over half serving Western food – where cheese is used a lot. This number is said to reflect the city's influence on Chinese people's taste in cheese.

The cheese boom in Shanghai has led local food companies to increasingly venture into the field over the past few years.

One of the stars is Pinlive Foods, the Chinese owner of the top-selling imported dairy brand Weidendorf from Germany. It plans to start production in its new cheese factory in the latter half of this year and has introduced a number of new products, such as tear-and-share cheese.

Another top performer is Bright Dairy & Food Co Ltd. It has also expanded its presence in the cheese market, partnering with White Rabbit Creamy Candy to develop new products.

Also in the ascendant is Shanghai Milkground Food Tech Co Ltd. It has opened China's biggest cheese factory in the Jinshan district of Shanghai and introduced new products catering to different consumer tastes.