Feta and yoghurt appealed to the Dutch

For the Netherlands, the most important imported Greek dairy products are feta and yoghurt.

It is noted that the Netherlands is an important partner of Greece in this direction. Other types of cheese imported from Greece to the Netherlands, besides feta, are kefalothiri, gouda, cephalograviera and casseri.

According to the TradeMap database, the Netherlands was the 10th largest country for cheese exports from Greece in 2020.

Imports of Dutch cheese to Greece in 2020 amounted to 12 million euros, an increase of 27.5% compared to 2019. The TradeMap database shows that Greece’s share of Dutch cheese and curd imports was around 0.98% in 2020.

About 75% -80% of cheese imports from Greece are feta. In particular, in 2020, 2,121.9 tons of cheese were imported from Greece, of which 1,586.8 tons of feta. The Netherlands also imports large quantities of feta from neighboring countries such as Germany, Belgium and Denmark.

A rather remarkable finding is highlighted: feta imported from other countries to the Netherlands is cheaper than feta imported directly from Greece. This may explain the decline in the share of feta imported directly from Greece in recent years.

According to Statistics Netherlands, the country is importing more and more dairy products (feta and yoghurt) from Greece. In fact, in the “food” category, the cost of imports from Greece is almost double what it was fifteen years ago. In 2020, exports of Greek food products to the Netherlands amounted to almost 160 million, of which the value of dairy products was 17 million euros. In particular, imports of dairy products from Greece increased by 183% from 2012 to 2020.

The feta brands Dodoni and Salakis have proven themselves well in supermarkets, leaving little room for other brands. Typically, other varieties of Greek cheese are not available in Dutch supermarkets, leaving room for new entrants to the market.

Due to the high quality of Greek dairy products and, at the same time, their availability due to the price, Greek products will be able to take a more important role in the “gourmet” and “premium” market (eg specialty cheese shops). Organic cheeses will also be able to occupy a niche in ecological stores (for example, Ekoplaza and Odin).

Organic buyers are generally more willing to pay for the quality of the product. However, it should be noted that the current market share of organic products in the Netherlands has not reached the level of the share of neighboring countries such as Germany.

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