by Xinhua writers Yao Yuan, Tian Yun and Zhou Rui
SHANGHAI, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- Denis Vergneau compares Chinese consumers' first impression of cheese to a European's first encounter with stinky tofu: both can seem unfamiliar at first because of their strong aromas, but each has a distinct flavor that can win people over once they try it.
"We believe, as a group, that cheese will become something in China," said Vergneau, general manager of Sinodis, the China subsidiary of the Savencia Group. "It takes a lot of time. It's a work with generations."
The French company showcased its portfolio of dairy, chocolate and pastry ingredients, including cheese and cream products tailored for the Chinese market, at the 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE), running from Nov. 5 to 10 in Shanghai.
While Chinese consumers are no strangers to processed cheese, the kind melted on pizzas or tucked into fast-food burgers, natural cheeses, especially traditional European varieties, remain a niche category in China.
Yet the company has been optimistic about building a market for cheese. Savencia entered the Chinese market in 1996 and was among the first foreign groups to build a cheese factory in China. It now runs two cheese factories in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin.
The group has focused on localization and consumer education, developing cheese sticks and other children's snacks to introduce Chinese children to cheese and gradually make it part of their daily eating habits.
"In France, people start eating cheese at one or two years old, just as many Chinese grow up with choudoufu (stinky tofu). Cheese is new to you, just as choudoufu is new to me," said Vergneau.
That sense of novelty can be a source of innovation, Vergneau said, pointing to unconventional uses of cheese and cream in China, such as cheese-topped milk tea or cream mixed with salted egg yolk.
"French consumers grow up with cheese and cream, so they have a framework. The Chinese pastry chef carries no such baggage: he can mix things without a frame, producing combinations no French chef would ever have imagined," he said, adding that the same applies to French chefs experimenting with tofu.
Vergneau said the fast pace of innovation in China has prompted brands to develop products faster. "New products are a constant on the Chinese market. We need to offer new recipes and new solutions," he added.
The CIIE, China's national-level expo dedicated to imports, offers the company an important platform to learn about the Chinese market and its shifting trends, he said.
"Savencia is committed to staying for the long haul in China. We are continuing to invest because we believe in the long-term prospects," he said. ■
