Dutch Raw Milk Cheese Project supported by
Slow Food
Germany
Group 12
Maximilian Hüller S1055280
Karin Visser S1037664
Mary Makri
S1055273
Ilse Kruidhof S1037795
Niall Prendergast
S1055458
IBS2b
International Business and Languages
Windesheim University of Applied Science
Zwolle, 15-03-2012
Summary
This is the Dutch Raw Milk Cheese Project supported by Slow Food and made by
Maximilian Hüller, Mary Makri, Ilse Kruidhof, Niall Prendergast and Karin Visser.
These are all students at Windesheim University of Applied Science.
In this project you will find the answers for the best way of selling raw milk cheese
in Germany.
For the answer to this question we had to consult different external resources. Such
as the cheese farm ‘de Huppe’ in Zwolle, cheese shop Käsladl in Munich, Slow Food
etc.
The project is structured by different chapters. The first section of this project
contains the macro-analysis and the second part contains the meso-analysis. In the
macro analysis there are different things described and outlined. This project begins
by giving you business information about Germany. This is done by creating a
DESTEP-analysis. This contains topics about the demographic, economical, social
cultural, technological, environmental and political facts of Germany. After that the
import regulations are discussed the next part of the project is the main cheese
production in Germany. It is vital to get an image of the cheese consumption in
Germany. Also discussed what is the attitude towards food in general is in Germany,
the cultural differences between the Netherlands and Germany are being discussed,
the emotional image of Holland with respect to cheese and how the NGO Slow Food
is perceived in Germany.
In the meso-analysis there is also researched information about Germany. But in
this part of the project it is going formally about the cheese and Germany, and not
only about the country Germany itself. In this part of the project export barriers with
Dutch raw milk cheese farmers is outlined. This is an important point to discuss
because the Dutch raw milk cheese cannot just be exported to Germany. After that
we will talk about the consumer market segments for raw milk cheese, the
competitors in Germany, the distribution channels for raw milk cheese, motivations
to sell the cheese, the attitude of consumers towards raw milk cheese, societal
participants and where and how the participants meet each other.
After the macro- and meso-analysis there is a special chapter about the target
group of raw milk cheese in Germany. The next chapter will go about the persona
that is a characterization of a certain type of typical consumer we wish to target.
At the end of the project we have written the conclusions and recommendations.
This is the recommendations for Slow Food and what to do with the Dutch raw milk
cheese in Germany.
2
Table of contents
Summary.............................................................................................................................2
Introduction........................................................................................................................4
1.
Macro-analysis....................................................................................................................5
1.1
D
E
S
T
E
P
analysis.................................................................................................
............5
1
.
1
.
1
Demoghrapic...................................................................................................
..5
1
.
1
.
2
Economical......................................................................................................
..5
1.1.3 S
o
c
i
a
l
cultural....................................................................................................6
1
.
1
.
4
Technological..................................................................................................
...6
1
.
1
.
5
Environmental..................................................................................................
.6
.6
Political.......................................................................................
.......................7
1.2 I
m
p
o
r
t
regulations.........................................................................................................8
1.3 Current main cheese or food production consumption related issues in
Germany......9
1
.
3
.
1
Vorzügsmilch.......................................................................................................9
1
.
3
.
2
Regulations..........................................................................................................9
1.3.3
Healthy
raw
milk...................................................................................................9
1.4 Attitude
towards
food
in
general...............................................................................10
1.5 C
u
l
t
u
r
a
l
differences.....................................................................................................11
3
.6 The emotional image of Holland with respect to cheese with the
target groups........12
1.7 How
the
NGO
Slow
Food
is
perceived
in
Germany.....................................................12
2.
Meso-analysis
2.1 Current
export
barriers
with
Dutch
raw
milk
cheese
farmers....................................13
2.2 Consumer
market
segments
for
raw
milk
cheese.....................................................14
2
.
3
Competitors....................................................................................................
.............15
2.4 Distribution
channels
for
raw
milk
cheese..................................................................16
2.5 Motivations
for
cheese
shops
to
sell
Dutch
Raw
Milk
cheese...................................17
2.6 Consumers
attitudes
towards
raw
milk
cheese.........................................................18
2.7 S
o
c
i
e
t
a
l
participants...................................................................................................
18
2.8 Where
and
how
the
participants
meet
each
other....................................................18
3. T
a
r
g
e
t
group..............................................................................................................
..............19
4
.
Persona.....................................................................................................................
...............20
5. Conclusions
and
recommendations.........................................................................................21
6
.
Appendices...............................................................................................................
................24
6.1
Refences....................................................................................................................
...24
6.2 Project
contract............................................................................................................26
6.3
4
Logbook....................................................................................................................
....28
Introduction
The reason of writing this project is because there are many small producers in the
Netherlands, who produce raw milk cheese. However, the problem is that the cheese
is not that well known compared to the cheese, which is produced in big factories.
The main question of both projects is: “How can Slow Food successfully support
Dutch producers of raw milk cheese in marketing their products internationally?”
The country used in our project group is Germany. The task of our project group
during two periods of seven weeks is to develop a good marketing strategy how the
cheese can be sold to Germany.
In the first period it is about searching a lot of information, which is necessary to
use to develop a marketing strategy. The information we search will as much related
to raw milk cheese as possible. After gathering the information, we will process it by
making conclusions and recommendations. Besides there will be made a relevant
target group including a persona. Having all these information, conclusions and
recommendations, we will write a marketing communication plan in the second
period, in which we will develop a marketing strategy for raw milk cheese in
Germany.
5
1. Macro-analysis
1.1DESTEP-analysis
Germany is a country located in the Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the
North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland and the south of Denmark. The total
area of the country is 357,022 sq km and it is ranked as the 63rd country in the
world. Germany’s population is 81,471,834 (Jul 2011 EST.) As Europe’s largest
economy and second most populous nation (after Russia), Germany is a key member
of the continents economic, political and defence organizations.1
1.1.1 Demographics
As far as the demographics of Germany are
concerned, 13.3% (male 5,569,390/female
5,282,245) of Germans are among 0-14 years,
66.1%
(male
27,227,847/female
26,617,915) among 15-64 years and the
rest 20.1% (male 7,217,163/female 9,557,634)
are 65 years and over. As the age is very
important in order to identify the potential target
group for selling raw milk cheese in general, the
ethnical background is not a priority.2 Germanys
population consists of 91.5% German, Turkish 2.4% and other (made up largely of
Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Croatian, Spanish) 6.1%. The official
language of Germany is German. Moreover, 34% of the population are Protestants,
34% Roman Catholics, 3.7% Muslims and the rest 28.3% are unaffiliated or other.
The unemployment rate is 6.4% and the GDP per capita is 37,900$.3
1.1.2 Economical
Germany has the fifth largest economy in the world and the largest in Europe,
therefore Germany is very important country. In 1958 Germany was one of the
founders of the European Union. Since 2002 Germany uses the Euro instead of the
“Deutsche Mark”. After the Second World War Germany was facing low fertility rates
and a declining net immigration. That is why the country needed structural reforms.
In 2002 the German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder introduced the reforms in terms
of taxation and social welfare, which has contributed to a strong economical growth
in 2006 and 2007. Germany was less influenced by financial crisis in 2009 and
2010. The purchasing power parity of Germany was 2.951 trillion US Dollars in
2010, which is the 6th place in comparison with the world. This fact means that
German people are willing to buy things, which is an good opportunity to introduce
the raw milk cheese to a huge cheese market. Germany is a leading exporter of
machinery, vehicles, chemicals, and household equipment and benefits from a
1
www.germanfoods.org
2
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gm.html
3
http://www.indexmundi.com
6
highly skilled labour force. It shows why most German people are highly educated
and that they are all able to find a job that suits them. The unemployment rate in
Germany was 6% in 2011, which is just the same as The Netherlands, Austria and
Norway as lowest percentage in Europe.4 Nowadays Germany still copes with the
modernization and integration of the eastern German economy which is a very
expensive project. The costs of the financial support from West Germany to the East
of Germany are around 70 billion dollars per year.5 Besides this fact, Germany faces
demographic challenges because of their low fertility rates and declining net
immigration on long-terms.
1.1.3 Social cultural
The incursions of modern patterns of life and global forms of entertainment have
weakened the traditional arts, entertainments, and customs of regional and rural
Germany, although this has occurred somewhat less so in southern Germany, where
the older arts and usages have persisted concurrently with the gradual adaption to a
modern, urban, pattern of life. German culture began long before the rise of
Germany as a nation- state and spanned the entire German- speaking world.
Culture in Germany has been shaped by major intellectual and popular currents in
Europe, both religious and secular. Nowadays, in the country there are 240 theatres,
hundreds of symphonic orchestras, thousands of museums and over 25,000
libraries. Researching the educational level of Germans, it would be helpful to be
mentioned that schooling in Germany is free and compulsory for children age 6 to
18. Furthermore, a rapidly rising demand for higher education is noted, and
followed by the increasing of the number of the universities. As far as German
cuisine is concerned, it makes generous use of meat, both cured and fresh.
Moreover, German dairies produce a variety of excellent cheeses, and fresh, soft
cheeses are in many of traditional dishes. The fact that there is a variety of cheeses,
leads to the result of intense competition. Breakfast seems to be the most important
meal for the Germans. It is interesting for this research that in daily basis, Germans
every morning choose to eat cheese combined with fresh bread and cold meats.
However, as a country with many immigrants, Germany has adopted many
international dishes into its cuisine and daily eating habits.6 7
1.1.4 Technological
In Germany they are the largest and most advanced producers in the technological
industry of the world. After the United States and Japan it has the strongest
technological economy of the world, which is mainly due to the Second World War.
The years after the reunification of Germany it was a great challenge to rebuild the
community. The infrastructure and the industry were dated and the environment
was highly polluted. The attention for the reunion was a disadvantage for Germany,
because the taxes were raised to pay off and public investments in West-Germany
were delayed.
Nowadays Germany has the most advanced producers in iron, steel, coal, chemicals,
machinery, vehicles, machine parts, electronics, food and textiles. Berlin is the
capital of Germany since 1990. The Prussian kings of the 17th century built
4
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/statistics/themes.html
5
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economie_van_Duitsland#Groeicijfers_industri.C3.ABle_productie
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/231186/Germany/233599/Daily-life-and-socialcustoms
6
7
http://library.thinkquest.org/26576/
7
beautiful buildings and parks in Berlin, which is nowadays a very popular and
bruising city full of old architecture and culture and popular for short city trips.
1.1.5 Environmental
The main aspects covered in the area of environmental section of the DESTEPanalysis include the weather and climate change. In the modern business world it is
of the upmost importance that all successful business models take note of the
changing world climate and how it can affect the business moving forward. Support
and interest is on the rise from conscious consumers and governments to help play
a role in protecting and preserving the environment. It is with this shift that Slow
Food must make a priority to keep producing and maintaining its high standards of
quality foods and keep promoting small agricultural businesses from Germany and
around the world.8
Germany is located in the centre of Europe. It has a population that stands at
82,282,988 million which is the largest in Europe. Germanys land mass is also the
biggest in Europe as it covers over 137,846 square km. Germanys landscape
consists mainly of the north German plain, the central German Uplands down to the
southern highlands, where the most German raw milk cheese producers are located.
Germanys highest point is on the mountain Zugspitze which is 1,600 Hundred feet
above sea level in the southwest region of Germany. Germany has a series of rivers
in which the main ones are the Elbe, Danube, the Oder, the Wesser and lastly the
Rhine.9
German attitudes towards green issues rank high on the GFK model as one of the
highest in Europe. In a recent study conducted by GFK Global Index it showed
interesting results in which 1 out of 2 Germans showed a willingness to pay a higher
price for environmentally produced product. This shows signs of encouragement for
raw milk cheese producers as this shows there is a big market segment in which it
can target in order to distribute and sell its cheese successfully. The GFK results
also show that German population as a whole have an above average knowledge of
green issues.10
1.1.6 Political
The Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Federal Republic of Germany) was founded in
1949 with the implementation of the Grundgesetz (Constitutional Law), which was
installed to protect the individual liberty and human rights. It also separates the
power between the federal and state levels.
Since the reunification in 1990, Germany has 16 individual states. These states are
prescribed by state constitutions, but resemble the federal constitution. Each state
is ruled by a prime minister, who is also a member of the Bundesrat. The Bundesrat
consists of 69 members (16 Ministers and 53 other delegates). This institution has
to agree on legislation concerning revenue shared by federal and state
governments. They also have to confirm important and far-reaching decisions,
which were firstly passed by the Bundestag. The parliament, called Bundestag, is
based in the capital of Germany, Berlin. The members are elected every 4 years. To
become a representative in the Bundestag the politician needs to be in a party,
which must have at least 5% of the votes. This rule is part of the constitution and
was created in order to prevent political fragmentation. The election of the
chancellor is one important task of the Bundestag but beside this the Bundestag has
8
http://www.oup.com/uk/orc/bin/9780199296378/01student/additional/page_12.htm
9
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107568.html
10
http://www.gfk.com/group/press_information/press_releases/008988/index.en.html
8
primary legislative authorities as well. The chancellor heads the federal government
and exercises executive power. Usually the Chancellor is a member of the party,
who got the most votes, supported by a coalition of other parties with similar
political interests.11 On the 27th of September 2009 the last Bundestag elections
were held. According to the votes the parties got the following seats: CDU/CSU
33.8% (239 seats); SPD 23% (146 seats); FDP 14.6% (93 seats); LP 11.9% (76 seats);
Greens 10.7% (68 seats).12 Surprisingly the SPD had huge losses and the FDP gained
votes. Therefore, die alliance of CDU/CSU and FDP was created and they formed a
centre-right government, with Angela Merkel continuing as Chancellor.
Despite the fact that the chancellor executes the power; the federal president
(Bundespräsident) is the first person in the political system. His tasks and duties are
restricted. They are largely representative and ceremonial placed but at least he has
to sign every law which is passed by the government. He normally is elected every 5
years on May 23 by the Federal Assembly, consisting of Bundestag and an equal
number of state delegates. The current president Christian Wulff (CDU) was elected
on June 30, 2010, because his predecessor resigned.
Food, agriculture and consumer protection are subjects that affect all citizens
directly. The Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection in
Germany aims in promoting a balanced, healthy diet, and safe foods ensuring that
everyday’s food is safe, assisting in the development of clear consumer rights and
helping to ensure that the agricultural sector is strong and able to perform the
duties required of it. The BMELV offices in Bonn and Berlin have 83 divisions with a
total of over 900 staff committed to achieving these aims. The BMELV has been led
by Federal Minister Ilse Aigner since 2008. Within the Federal Government, the
Federal Minister is competent for structuring German food, agricultural and
consumer policy. It is clear that the introduction of a new, healthy and safe product
such as raw milk cheese, produced in a green way by small agricultural businesses
would be highly supported by the government.13
1.2Import regulations
In order to sell the Dutch raw milk cheese to Germany, we have to figure out,
whether there are import regulations or not. In Germany itself raw milk cheese is
legally sold over the whole country and consumers can get it almost everywhere. As
a member of the European Union they can trade with each other and import and
export food. The food – including raw milk cheese – has to meet criteria of the EU,
otherwise trade and production are not legal. In the 1990s Europe started to
compile regulations to guarantee that the cheese is safe for human consumption so
it can be sold without the any restrictions. Besides that they wanted to continue the
production of raw milk cheese, because at this time concerns raised relating to the
bacterial amount. Only milk of healthy animals, restricted amount of bacterial,
immediate processing of the milk: If the producers of raw milk cheese complied with
these conditions, only then they are allowed to continue their production, but they
have to make sure that an efficient self-checking program will take place. However,
the regulations of the EU are only the minimum requirements, and the countries are
11
http://www.germany.co.za/politics.html
12
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3997.htm 13
www.bmelv.de
9
able to add more severe requirements like special sanitary regulations and keen
quality test. Companies, which produce, process, transport, store, and sell raw milk
cheese have to register or recognize themselves. In our case the companies should
be recognized. This enables them to sell their cheese abroad without any
geographical restriction, but it includes more inspections by the health authority.
Over and above to all this matters, the products have to indicate clearly that they are
“made with raw milk”.14 15
Finally it can be said, that there are no special import regulations for raw milk
cheese in context with Germany, as the minimum requirements apply for the whole
European Union.
1.3 Current main cheese or food production consumption related issues in
Germany
There are some recently written articles on the internet that contain important
information for the project. The articles are posted in the blog of this project group
at the webpage www.blogger.com.16 The first article is about the raw milk in
Germany called Vorzugsmilch. The second article is about the regulations and
requirements in Germany according to the production, packaging and selling of raw
milk and raw milk cheese. Another article contains a lot of information about the
14
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_milk.html
15
http://www.slowfood.com/rawmilk/eng/52/europe.html
16
http://cheese-project-germany.blogspot.com/2012/03/articles.html
10
organic food in Germany. The article contains a lot of information about the organic
food market and industry in Germany, the perception of the people towards organic
food as well as the selling and promoting of organic food in this country. The last
article is about old convictions and habits towards raw milk and raw milk cheese.
Some short conclusions are written about the articles:
1.3.1 Vorzugsmilch
In Germany the raw milk is called Vorzugsmilch.17 The raw milk is the only
unpasteurised milk in Germany. The milk keeps all the original ingredients, vitamins
and flavours, which contribute to the special rich and aromatic taste of the raw milk.
Besides the milk is very thirst-quenching and of high biological value. The raw milk
is the most strictly controlled food in Germany. The requirements of the health of
the cows, the milking hygiene, the quality of the milk but as well the cooling,
packaging and transport and the health of the staff are very high. Every month the
cows are examined by veterinarians and the milk will be laboratory controlled. The
milk samples may not contain any pathogenic microorganisms or toxins which can
affect the health of the consumer. Only about 80 farms in Germany are able to meet
the requirements.
1.3.2 Regulations
The strict hygiene requirements are imposed by the European Union. The products
must all be labelled as raw milk products and the milk must be processed
immediately after milking to make it into cheese. The production and the farms are
inspected regularly by authorities. 18 Germany has synchronized the regulations of
the European Union. It is legal to produce raw milk cheese in Germany as long as
the producers meet the standards for the total bacteria at 30°C and the standard of
the German Milk Ordinance for Salmonella.19
1.3.3 Healthy raw milk
Raw milk was previously used by Hippocrates, Galen and other ancient physicians in
the treatment of disease. Dr. J.E. Crewe of the Mayo Foundation used an exclusive
diet of raw milk during the 1920’s. He used it to cure Tuberculosis, high blood
pressure, prostate disease, kidney disease and obesity. In Germany the raw milk
therapy is nowadays still successfully used.20 There are lots of studies done on the
effects of the raw milk. It resulted in different outcomes and explanations. A study
in 1999 demonstrated the difference in the health of children who drink raw milk in
comparison to children who drink pasteurized milk. It showed that the children who
used to drink raw milk have fewer allergic skin problems and far less asthma than
children who always drink pasteurized milk. Besides, the research showed that raw
milk is superior to pasteurized milk in promoting growth and calcium absorption.
1.4 Attitude towards food in general
17
http://www.milch-und-mehr.de/de/11758-Vorzugsmilch
http://www.tagesspiegel.de/weltspiegel/essen-trinken/rohmilchkaese-kampf-der-kulturen/
1282532.html
18
19
http://www.dairyfoodsconsulting.com/pdf/German_raw_milk_system.pdf
20
http://www.sunherb.com/RawMilk.htm
11
As Germany is such a vast country there are differences between the cultures and
attitudes towards food. It is important for any business wishing to try export to
Germany to have good background knowledge on these areas in order to be
successful. Modern Germany can be divided up into six different regions of food
which consist of 21 :
-
Baveria: Located in the southeast of Germany near the Alps. Famous food
cultures of this region consist of Pretzels, potato dumplings and beer.
-
Franconia: Located on the main river in Germany on the hillside terrain. Famous
for its white wine production and consumption. It is not well know globally as
they produce and consume over 90% of their own produce. Food specialties in
this area consist of Lamb, Fresh fish and wild game.
-
Southwest: Located near the black forest and is famous for its hiking tracks. Its
famous food dish is called a farmers plate and it consists of a selection of
sausage, cheese, bread and pickles. With a large number of lakes in the region
also this area is famous for its fish cuisine.
-
East: This region is located far into East into Germany in the main area of
Saxony. It is famous for its meat dishes such as Thueringer sausage and deserts
such as Dresdner Christmas stolen which is yeast made cake with nut
ingredients. In Berlin you can find almost every famous German dish from with a
Berlin favourite being a Strammer Max which is mainly a fried egg dinner.
-
West: Nordrhein- Westfalia is where nearly all of German grapes are grown along
its famous rivers such as the Main, Rhine and Mosel. In this region they are
famous for celebrating their food with festivals in which they make the food
dishes of the region which include Heaven and earth which is an assortment of
potatoes and apples mixed with pudding and meat.
-
North Hamburg: This is where the German coastline comes into effect on the
local cuisine with starchy hot meals are warm favourites of the people in this
region. With local dish favourites being East Friesian tea and Hamburger
Labskaus.
Germany has a long and rich history in dairy production especially in producing
cheeses. As the landscape and culture differences in Germany are so different it
gives rises to the production of over 600 different types of cheeses with the bulk of
three quarters of this production arising in Baveria. The heart of German cheese
making is found in the Allgäu region of southern Germany in which the cheese has a
Swiss effect as the recipe was make by two Swiss dairy men many decades ago.
Allgäu cheese are made from the milk of local cattle in the area which is why it
comes to be that Allgäu is Germany most busy and important cheese region with
over 400 of the 600 cheese produced there alone. The main Cheese in which
Germany are famous for are the following 22 :
- Hard cheese (Hartkäse)
- Semi Hard cheese ( Schnittkäse)
- Semi soft cheese ( Halbfester Schnittkäse)
21
http://germanfood.about.com/od/regionalspecialties/a/regions.htm
22
http://www.germanfoods.org/consumer/facts/guidetocheese.cfm
12
-
Soft cheese ( Weichkäse)
Fresh cheese ( Frischkäse)
1.5 Cultural differences
Germany and the Netherlands are very similar countries. Both countries are located
in Western Europe and are performing well economically. They share the same roots
in language and currency, but despite the close geographical affinity, there are only
a few cultural similarities which could be relevant for the way to promote raw milk
cheese in Germany. In Germany business organization it is much more hierarchical
with more layers of mangers and supervisors which I quite different when compared
to Dutch business structure as it is more flat and everybody works together equally
in teams23 Other differences in culture are the way people criticize in the
Netherlands and in Germany. German people are very direct in their criticism; they
are going to say what they think even if it is very offensive. But if they are being
criticized, they really cannot handle that. In the Netherlands the way of criticize
someone is often more friendly and they do not want to offend that person.
To measure some cultural aspects of different countries it is also possible to use the
Hofstede model. The cultural dimensions that are used and measured in the
Hofstede model are the power distance, individualism, masculinity and uncertainty
avoidance. In the Power Distance Index (PDI) the Netherlands has a PDI score of 38
while Germany has a PDI score of 35.24 It means that the difference is not very big;
in both countries the power distance is quite low. The gap between the wealthy and
the poor is not very large in Germany. Equality for each citizen is important. In the
Masculinity Index (MAS) Germany has a MAS score of 66, which means that Germany
is quite a masculine country while the Netherlands has a MAS score of 14 and is a
very feminine country.25 The difference shows itself in how work is perceived in both
countries. In Germany it will be expected that managers are assertive, decisive and
tough and employees are expected to show maximum ambitiousness and be
prepared to handle conflicts. The Netherlands have a more low-key approach to
management where leadership should be caring, seek compromise and coach
employees to enhance work satisfaction and performance. The Uncertainty
Avoidance Index measures the extent to which members of a culture feel threatened
by uncertainty and unknown situations. In the Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) the
Netherlands has a UAI score of 53 and Germany a score of 65.26 In Germany,
structure and rules are principal to avoid unpredictability. A known phrase in
Germany is “Ordnung muß sein” translated “orderliness must be”. It is usual that
Germans are very punctual and prepared down to the smallest details. This is an
important fact for exporting the raw milk cheese. The product has to be clarified
and introduced as good as it is possible.
23
http://martinmetzmacher.com/dutch-german-cultural-differences/
Rolf Lunheim, Culture in Business: Introduction to cross-cultural leadership and communication, 2th
ed, p. 41
24
Rolf Lunheim, Culture in Business: Introduction to cross-cultural leadership and communication, 2th
ed, p. 49
25
Rolf Lunheim, Culture in Business: Introduction to cross-cultural leadership and communication, 2th
ed, p. 52
26
13
When promoting in Germany there are a few things that should be taken into
consideration as Germans can not handle criticism very well, therefore this cannot
be on posters or other promotion material as a joke. The German people like
detailed information which is a point to take in consideration while promoting raw
milk cheese in Germany. The promotion material of raw milk cheese has to contain a
lot of information about the cheese itself, but also about how it is made and what
country it is coming from. Another factor are the prejudices about raw milk cheese.
While promoting it is important that people in Germany will be well informed about
the health risks, or actually no risks, of the raw milk cheese. While promoting the
raw milk cheese there can be used a lot of different types of advertising material
such as the internet, magazines, television, posters etc. About 80% of the
population of Germany is using the internet.27 So this is a very good way to promote
the raw milk cheese. Dutch raw milk cheese producers can make a campaign on the
internet and on television. It is of most importance to fully inform the potential
customers about the product.
1.6 The emotional image of Holland with respect to cheese with the target
groups
It is important that Holland has a good image if it chooses to export cheese to other
countries. When thinking about Holland, foreign people often think a lot about
tulips, wooden shoes, windmills and also cheese. Dutch people are called
‘kaaskoppen’ which means cheeseheads. With this image of the Netherlands in the
world, people take under consideration that Dutch cheese is of the same high
quality. In the interview with a German cheese shop the owner also said that it was
very important that the quality of the cheese has to be really good and the taste has
to be very nice otherwise costumers would not purchase the cheese.28
1.7 How the NGO Slow Food is perceived in Germany
Slow Food NGO seems to have a vivid and intense action in Germany. Slow Food
Germany opened its national office in 1992 and since then a lot of activities and
conferences have been held in order to promote the traditional German production
and to bring together people who enjoy well- produced, traditional, quality food.
Organization’s structure is based on the idea of
conviviums. A convivium is consisted of Slow
Food members in every region in the country who
share the same need for accessing great food all
over the country. It is the most vivid expression
of the organization and the important thing is
that it gives the opportunity to every member to
make suggestions and interventions that have to
do with the organization of the activities of the
calendar. There are 80 convivias now in Germany
and they meet every year in their general meeting. General meeting is the highest
27
http://www.internetworldstats.com/eu/de.html
28
interview cheese shop Munich
14
decision -making body of the organization and it also elects every two years the
Board of the organization which is responsible for the budget, decisions etc.29
A ‘Slow Food Magazine’ is also held by the organization 6 times per year. This could
be really useful as Dutch raw milk cheese could be advertised via this media and
could interest many German consumers who may not hear before about this kind of
cheese.
Last but not least, according to the Events calendar, Slow Food Germany’s fair of
good, clean and fair food called ‘Markt des guten Geschmacks’ is held over four
days every April bringing together artisan producers and traders for an impressive
marketplace as well as workshops, talks, excursions and dinners. This event
attracted more than 55,000 people on 2011 and it will be held on 12-15 April this
year in Stuttgart. Also on 11-14 of next October it is the ‘Slow fish Bremen’ event
which except for seafood also includes producers of accompanying condiments and
foods as well as wineries. So in a place where wines are promoted, cheese could be
also be promoted as supplementary product.30
2. Meso-analysis
2.1 Current export barriers with Dutch raw milk cheese farmers
Raw milk cheese is a legally sold product in Germany. In all of Germany the product
is available and it is quite easy for consumers to get it. Germany and the
Netherlands do not have any export barriers, because they are both members of the
European Union. The import and export of food has to meet the regulations that are
established in the 1990’s. Trading raw milk cheese between the Netherlands and
Germany has to meet the same regulations as trading of food in general between
these countries. However the production itself of the raw milk cheese meets very
strict regulations. The raw milk cheese has to meet the regulations for the total
amount of bacteria’s that are established by the European Union and which are
applied in Germany as well and the standards of the German Milk Ordinance for
Salmonella. Besides all related products has to be labelled as raw milk products.
However, the regulations of the EU are only the minimum requirements. It is
possible for countries to add more severe requirements. In Germany companies has
to be recognisable. This enables the companies to sell their cheese abroad without
any geographical restriction and it includes more inspections by the health
authorities.
There are no direct export barriers, but there could be indirect export barriers which
can still emerge despite the free trade within the European Union. For the producers
it will be much more efforts to sell their raw milk cheese not only within the
Netherlands, but now even in Germany. The distance in exporting abroad could
normally be a barrier, but in the case of Germanys geographical affinity the distance
29
www.slowfood.com
30
www.slowfood.de
15
is not relevant. Once the raw milk cheese is produced the date of decay is very long
and will not be of important relevance during transportation of the cheese as long
as it is well packaged. The producers have to cope with formal barriers which they
have to fill out for the authorities and it is obviously much more work to operate on
an international level compared to a domestic level. Forms, special packaging
requirements in relation to language, different consumer habits and the different
taxation system are all relevant factors which have to be overcome.
Pictures made at De Huppe, Zwolle.
2.2 Consumer market segments for raw milk cheese
Doing the meso- analysis and in the effort of finding the appropriate segment for
raw milk cheese in Germany, it would be helpful first to mention the characteristics
of the product. It is known that people may be afraid to use unpasteurized products
because of the bacteria they contain.31 According to statistics from the U.S. centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, for the 27 years between 1973 and 1999 there
was not a single reported of illness from either raw milk or pasteurized milk
cheeses. Only in the last decade there has been an increase in both cases with raw
cheese illness cases slightly being more than pasteurized cheese illness cases. In
2008 however, there was not a single reported case of illness from raw milk cheese
but there were 45 cases reported that had to do with pasteurized cheese that year,
something that indicates that contamination happens after pasteurization.
Moreover, between 2000 - 2009, one person died from pasteurized cheese
poisoning while there were no deaths from raw cheese during this period. What
these statistics show is the fact that whether a cheese is raw or not it can still cause
food borne illnesses. Just like with raw milk, raw cheese is not dangerous by itself.
31
http://www.naturalnews.com/031471_raw_milk_cheese.html
16
Poor handing and unhealthy conditions are the primary causes of food borne
illnesses.32 The truth is that raw milk cheese is much more digestible and nutrient than
pasteurized cheese. It is rich in colloidal minerals, enzymes and beneficial bacteria.
It also contains the enzyme phosphates that help the body to absorb the calcium
from milk. Heating milk destroys the ability of the body to absorb many of the vital
nutrients found in milk. And of course the texture and flavor are much better and
special. In conclusion raw milk cheese seems to be a high quality product, safe if
properly made, absolutely beneficial and nutritious and that could also be a
gastronomic experience for those who can appreciate strong, distinctive tastes and
gourmet products.33
Raw milk cheeses cost on average between 12-20 € per kg, which means that is
more expensive than the cheap Gouda that costs approximately 3 € per kg.
According to Alexandra Schneider, the owner of the cheese shop in Munich, Dutch
cheese especially Gauda has an image of being cheap and the price of the Gauda
cheese reflexes this. That shows that the chosen segment should consist of
consumers that generally spend money on good-quality food and that they are
willing to pay a high price if a product deserves it. Furthermore, with the help of a
well structured marketing strategy, raw milk cheese could also be interesting for
people with need for big amounts of calcium such as young children and
adolescents in the phase of growing up or old women who mostly suffer from
osteoporosis.34 2.3 Competitors
Milchhof Ekenhorst is a German dairy farm located in the county of Bentheim in
Southern Niedersachsen, which is directly to the Dutch border. Currently there are
60 dairy cows and 60 calves, which are all black coloured. They live in a cubicle
house and are able to have a lot of movement.35 The farm mainly produces raw milk
which is called Vorzugsmilch. The price of one litre raw milk €1.40 while the price of
10 litres €8.50 is.36 Ekenhorst also produces pasteurized milch which costs €1.13
32
http://www.destination-healthy-foods.com/Raw-Cheese.html
33
http://www.clal.it/en/index.php?section=gouda_k 34
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/health/25brody.html
35
http://www.milchhof-ekenhorst.de/unser_hof.html
36
http://www.milchhof-ekenhorst.de/produkte.html
17
per litre. Besides it produces, butter, cream cheese called Frischkäse, yogurt and the
raw milk cheese called ‘Ekenhorster Landkäse’. The raw milk cheese is produced by
Ekenhorster itself. The price of 100g is €1.50. Ekenhorst delivers in a region which
is as far as 80 kilometres. It always delivers its products fresh each day to the
consumer.
Marienhof Schömberg is a farm located in Schömberg in the southwest of Germany.
The farm exists since 1963.37 The farm has 55 cows which are kept in an outdoor
climate stable. Since 1978 Marienhof is one of the few farms and the first farm in
Baden-Württemberg that produces and delivers raw milk cheese.38 The farm
produces different types of raw milk cheese. The farm works together with a small
biological dairy in Eschbronn. Marienhof has a small shop at its farm.
Börde Käse GmbH is a cheese producer in Germany, which is located in Vahldorf.
The company is founded in 1879. The company produces different types of cheese,
including the raw milk cheese. The company is known for its quality and its original
bacon flavoured cheese. Since 1995 the company exports its awarded cheese all
over the world. In 2004 Börde Käse GmbH is certified to the International Food
Standard Version 5.39
2.4 Distribution channels for raw milk cheese
In Germany raw milk cheese is legally sold widely and it is pretty well known
especially under middle-aged people. Many are looking for this special cheese but it
is not everywhere available. People like raw milk cheese cause of its special aroma
37
http://www.marienhof1.de/
http://www.zak.de/artikel/7420/Schoemberg-Landesweiter-Vorreiter-bei-Kaese-ausVorzugsmilch-Kurze-Wege-hohe-Qualitaet
38
39
http://www.boerde-kaese.de/
18
and naturalness and they have to make real efforts to get this extraordinary cheese.
Raw milk cheese is a high quality product and therefore the production is very
complex and is subjected to harsh hygienic requirements. As a result of that the
price is accordingly high compared to factory-made cheeses. Consequently this
cheese is offered mostly by specialized companies, which focus on high quality food
and more expensive products. So if we consider this important point we can figure
out, which distribution channels are available and could be successful in context of
selling Dutch raw milk Cheese in Germany.
Raw milk cheese is in all specialized health food stores available and also a part of
every well-managed cheese counter. Natural food stores, gourmet delis,
delicatessen sections of department stores and special cheese shops offer a wide
product range with many different kinds of raw milk cheeses from various countries.
But most of the raw milk cheeses are French because in France there are the most
and best cheeses offered compared to other countries. These shops sell more
expensive cut and hard cheeses and even the most controlled soft cheeses to
consumers, who pay heed to healthy food of better quality. Despite that fact that
France is in a strong market leading position there is still a chance for Dutch
producers. According to the Cheese shop interview, Alexandra Schweiger told that
smaller, specialized food shops are offering cheeses from different countries not
only from France. She pointed out the importance of the food wholesalers, which
import the cheeses and so set the range of products of the shops. This is obvious
because one small shop by its own is not able to cope all the efforts in context of
the import. 40 41 So it is relevant to get in contact with the wholesalers as they have
a major impact on the smaller cheese stores.
But there are also online web shops, where you can buy raw milk cheese on the
Internet. Some producers try to sell their raw milk cheese online by using a
webpage. In Germany there are many webpage’s of producers, for example from
France and Swiss, who make efforts to get an access to the big German cheese
market. This seems to be a possibility for Dutch producers to cooperate together
and create one or more online-shops and compete at this distribution channel with
the others. Furthermore there do exist a hand full of companies, which only intend
to procure the raw milk cheese from the wholesalers and to sell it only online again.
Online platforms like that are widespread and they are successful by doing this
business. As we can see the wholesalers are playing a major role as they do the
product range selection (category management) and market development for all
their customers.
Mainly there are two reasons that raw milk cheese is rarely to buy in conventional
trade like supermarkets. One is that there are only 80 producers of raw milk and raw
milk cheeses, so it is not made in any appreciable quantity. Currently they are not
able to turn out the necessary amount of cheese to meet the demand of retail
chains, but there is an increasing trend to produce it. Because of the few producers
they offer their cheeses by using a direct marketing system or the consumers can
buy the products directly at the producer’s shop. On the other hand the retailer has
to fulfil very hard regulations in order to prevent the contamination of the food.
Most supermarkets try to avoid this additional effort by not expanding the range of
http://www.oekolandbau.de/verbraucher/kaufen/biowarenkunde/kaese/rohmilchkaese-undsauermilchkaese/
40
41
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_milk#Germany
19
raw milk cheese. Furthermore they do not offer it as bulk buyers try to place lowprice products, so it is not that interesting to procure raw milk cheese.42 43
But there are some supermarkets like REWE or EDEKA, which try to install raw milk
cheese in their cheese counters. Since 2012 these two huge retail chains have been
expanding their assortment (on average 70 different cheeses) by installing 3 raw
milk cheeses like Camembert de Normandie. Only raw milk cheese from France is
offered at the moment, as the available amount of German raw milk cheese is
manageable. But the atmosphere of the cheese counters is similar to hospitals
because if there would be cheese flowing over the edge or mold forming, the food
inspectors would be immediately in the shop. 44
2.5 Motivations for cheese shops to sell Dutch Raw Milk cheese
There are many different motivations for cheese shops to sell Dutch Raw Milk
Cheese But a lot of cheese shops still do not wish to sell the cheese, afraid of the
health risks. Raw Milk Cheese is not yet so popular in countries outside of the
Netherlands. There are different kinds of shops which are selling raw milk cheese.
These shops are mainly on farms or shops in cities that get there cheese from
organic farmers. These shops do not have a special target group. For instance the
farm in Zwolle ‘de Huppe’, has no special target group. In the shop there are many
different types of consumers; old, young, food lovers and people who just want to
see how cheese is made.45 But of course not everybody likes cheese, and not
everybody likes raw milk cheese.
In an interview with a German cheese shop it became clear that maybe there can be
a new target group for Dutch raw milk cheese. The attitude of consumers towards
raw milk cheese is good, but they don’t know a lot about this kind of cheese. In
general raw milk cheese is well known in Germany and especially in Bavaria. Many
consumers are coming to this shop in Germany to ask for raw milk cheese. it
definitely is a good idea for a new market to be found in Germany for this cheese.46
So, there are different motivations for
cheese shops to sell Dutch raw milk
cheese.
The first motivation for the
cheese shops are that there are a lot of
costumers already who are asking for
information about the raw milk cheese in
general. When the consumers are already
interested in this kind of cheese, it is a
lot easier to export the cheese. If the
cheese shops get a lot of questions from
costumers about the raw milk cheese,
they maybe can inform them about the
42
http://www.milch-und-mehr.de/de/11761-Erzeugerbetriebe
43
http://www.dairyfoodsconsulting.com/pdf/EU_cheese_safety_report.pdf
http://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/deutscher-kaese-man-muss-ihm-zeit-zur-reifelassen-11646438.html
44
45
Interview at De Huppe
46
Interview cheese shop Munich
20
Dutch raw milk cheese. For the cheese shops this will be an advantage because they
are getting a lot more customers and maybe another target group for the Dutch raw
milk cheese. This will mean a higher turnover for the cheese shops. Another target
group may be the restaurants. This target group can also buy special raw milk
cheese from the cheese shops to sell at their restaurants.47
2.6 Consumers attitudes towards raw milk cheese
A traditional German breakfast used to consist of a good heavy meal consisting of
bread and a selection of cold meat cuts and cheeses. In recent times over the last 50
years there has been a sway from this to a more light and flexible breakfast which
would mainly consist of cereal. As this is the case the attitude of Germans towards
the eating of raw milk cheese in a whole would mainly consist to the weekend in
which a traditional breakfast would be eaten. The Germans have a long standing
relationship with good cheese and this would also be reflected in the consumption
of fine cheeses with wine in the late evening or at dinner parties. According to the
survey made by Alexandra Schweiger in Munich consumers of high quality cheese
eat cheese between two and three times a week.
The cooking of raw milk cheese in Germany is rare as the cheese is usually bought
as a high quality gourmet cheese and so is usually consumed with fine wine. In the
few cases that raw milk cheese is cooked for a meal its most famous is in fondue. In
this meal cubes of bread are dipped into a melting bowl of cheese in the middle of
the table with the cubes of bread being on the end of fondue sticks.48
As with the modern world we live in the buying of the rare gourmet raw milk cheese
can be got online or down in your local supermarket. As in recent times with the rise
of more health conscious consumers and organic food lovers there has been an
increase in the demand for raw milk cheese in Germany. The price range for a
pound of raw milk cheese in Germany varies but most are in the bracket of 12.00 to
20.00 euro depending on the quality you want.4950
2.7 Societal participants
Except for the ‘Slow Food’ activity in Germany, they could not be found any other
societal participants such as media, platforms, networks or partnerships relevant to
raw milk cheese. Nevertheless, Slow Food NGO is a vivid organization there and via
its action and members, raw milk cheese could be promoted excellent in the
German market.
47
Interview at De Huppe
http://www.research-in-germany.de/discover-germany/german-food-and-drink/26414/germanfood-and-drink-breakfast-lunch-and-dinner.html
48
49
http://www.farmsteadfresh.com/buy-raw-milk-cheese-online-store.html
50
http://www.foodreference.com/html/germany-food-festivals-12.html
21
2.8 Where and how the participants meet each other
Germany which is a country famous for its love of good food and wines is very
familiar to food festivals. There are many food, wine, and organic meetings taking
place all over Germany during a given year. This is real opportunity for any business
wishing to enter the market to gain new customers and suppliers even. Using
festivals like this well get raw milk cheese more familiar to its potential new market.
Two examples of many given meetings are:
- February 2012: BioFach world organic trade fair which takes place in Nuremberg.
This is a massive opportunity as its world’s largest organic trade fair.
- September 2012: Bodensee Weinfest which is held every year since 1974, this
festival includes a music program and local culinary delights reaching from
cheese platters to Lake Constance fish served with wines.
3. Target group
There are many different target groups for raw milk cheese. These groups have
obviously not the same characterises in context to i.e. income, education and
occupation. As raw milk cheese is a high quality product and therefore more
expensive than factory made cheese, especially the upper and upper middle class
should be considered as an appropriate target group. Health, taste, well-being,
lifestyle, and status are relevant factors to be taken into account.
Lifestyle-Foodies
The target group chosen in this project is aged between 40 and 50 years.
The people out of this group are enjoying life, successful, content in life and want to
consume very high quality food. The shopping habits of this group are characterised
by sporadic spur of the moment consumers.
The fact that they are well educated means that they care slightly about problematic
substances. In their opinion the taste of raw milk cheese and the prestige to be able
to buy the best food products is more important. As they have leading positions in
their occupation they are financially secure so money is not considered to be the
main problem in relation to food. They prefer to focus their support on small raw
milk and raw milk cheese producers instead of the large retail chains.
Strengthening small food shops, producers and in a way the niche food segment as
a whole because they want to show that they are not shopping primarily in common
supermarkets.This segment is chiefly made up of middle-aged families with older
children (aged 15-21) and especially couples.
Currently about 25 per cent of Germans are belonging to this group and the
potential has not yet been fully maximised as it represents a large share of market.
22
4. Persona
Thomas Müller Thomas Müller is 47 years old and lives in Rosenheim near Munich (Germany) with
his family. He is married to Karen Müller (46) and they have three children aged 14,
16 and 19. He graduated from university with a Diplom in Business Administration
and he is now working for Roland Berger a consulting company based in the centre
of Munich as the head of the accounting department. His core values are family,
honestity, ambition, commitment, satisfaction and trust. Besides his timeconsuming job in which he is successful, he tries to spend time with his family and
friends. Also he likes enjoying life,fine food, travelling and he tries to use his spare
time in the best way
The reasons why he chooses to buy raw milk cheese is because he likes the special
high standard cuisine, he wants to support small niche producers and lastly the
owner of his favourite delicates shop convinced him to try different raw milk
cheeses. He gets offered free cheese samples every time when he is buying at the
local delicates shop and the higher prices are not playing a big role as he enjoys the
better quality.
23
From his experiences of raw milk cheese he has gained knowledge of the
characteristics and also of the risks of raw milk cheese so that he is able to consume
this cheese without any fears.
He is still using many various media sources like the Internet, newspapers, television
and radio in his daily life. In the morning he is reading the newspapers and listening
to the radio, and when he is working he is mainly using the Internet in order to keep
up to date. After the work he is at home in the evening and he is usually watching
television with his family.
5. Conclusions and recommendations
The recommendations are included in the conclusions.
5.1 Macro-analysis
After doing the DESTEP research, it could be concluded that age is one of the most
important factors to identify the target group for the raw milk cheese in Germany.
The age for the target group chosen for this project is between 40 and 50, which
presents the largest proportion of the German population. Moreover, it is obvious
that Germany is a strong country, with a stable economy and therefore, there is the
possibility of exporting more expensive food like raw milk cheese to this country. In
context of good infrastructure and experience in doing business, it will be an
advantage to co-operate with the local businessmen. In Germany they already make
their own cheeses so the competition is quite high. It would be difficult to persuade
German consumers to ignore a local product and buy a foreign one. Last but not
least, Germans have a high developed sense of environmental issues so a product
made in traditional, clean and ‘green’ way could be more attractive for the German
market.
The fact German consumers already have their own preferred cheese and that they
are used to consume it, leads to the chance of using free cheese samples. We
recommend to implement raw milk cheese samples at markets, restaurants, food
fairs, supermarkets and delicates shops where potential consumers are available.
Once they taste the raw milk cheese they may be convinced to change consumer
habits. According to the interview it is easier to sell raw milk cheese to the potential
consumers when the cheese is well presented and the person selling the cheese is
well informed on the product and persuasive.
24
There are no import regulations for raw milk cheese in Germany as the minimum of
requirements for producing raw milk cheese are met by the producers. It is possible
to sell the product all over European Union. Also, there are only few produces of raw
milk cheese in Germany (60-80). They have to meet strict standards to meet on
food safety and quality control. Organic food such as raw milk cheese production is
on the rise over the last several years in Germany. As demand for raw milk cheese is
rising in Germany, big retail firms are becoming aware of this and extending their
organic food lines. As there are so few producers on the domestic market who are
not able to meet the increasing future demand for raw milk cheese, this is a big
opportunity for foreign producers and sellers. As far as the attitudes towards food
are concerned, there are different food and
taste preferences in each region. So, raw milk
cheese producers should be aware of this fact.
However, cheese plays a big role in daily food
diet.
Due to the lack of raw milk cheese producers
in
Germany,
Dutch
producers
should
cooperate together in order to produce and
export larger amounts, especially the “Echte
Zwolse mosterdkaas” is currently well known
in a big region in the Netherlands. It has a
special logo, is already produced on a large
scale by many farmers and it is characterized
by different herbs, spices and a unique taste
which may appeal to the main stream consumers in Germany.
“Echte Zwolse mosterdkaas”, De Huppe, Zwolle.
The cultural differences are not very big between the Netherlands and Germany. As
a result of that it should not be difficult to co- operate with German partners. The
main difference, culturally, between the two countries, which should be taken into
consideration when doing business with Germans is that sometimes they can react
negatively when they are openly criticized. Business people should be well informed
about the German business culture in order to avoid misunderstandings.
Slow Food is a well established company operating in many different European
markets as well as in German regions. They organize a lot of organic food events.
To cooperate with Slow Food could be a chance in order for a new product to be
promoted. The only negative thing is that average consumers in Germany are
unaware of Slow Food. So probably a campaign for its promotion would be useful
too.
5.2 Meso-analysis
Despite the fact, that there have been some cases of illness caused by raw milk and
raw milk cheese, German consumers should not fear the consumption of these
products. The high regulations of producing, selling and storage cheese reduce this
risk in the most possible way. Investigations showed that the raw milk cheeses are
safe and can be consumed without hesitation. The raw milk is unpasteurized which
25
helps it keeps all the healthy and important nutrients and the special texture and
flavor makes it a more high quality product.
The market segment that is chosen could be described as more challenging and
quality-orientated one. Not the quantity is important, but especially the quality
plays a big role. The higher price makes it only available in specialized food shops
and not in supermarkets but that does not matter for raw milk cheese advocates.
Also, there are only a handful of competitors in Germany which produce only very
small amounts of raw milk and raw milk cheese. The fact that they are not able to
meet the increasing demand in future leads to the result that Germany has to look
for other procurement channels for example abroad.
The fact that raw milk cheese is a high quality product and more expensive, makes
it not readily available. The most interesting distribution channels which could be a
good chance to sell the cheese are natural food stores, gourmet delis, delicatessen
sections of department stores, online shops and special cheese shops. As the
wholesalers are setting up the range of products of all these possible distribution
channels they have the most important position. As we figured out there are
especially many small raw milk cheese producers in the Netherlands which produce
300kg raw milk cheese per week on average. These producers are obviously not
able to export their products as they are only selling their products in the local area.
Therefore medium sized enterprises should try to get in contact with experienced
and specialized import/export food wholesalers in Germany and the Netherlands in
order for the operation to be successful. We mentioned that they hold the key
position and they present in our point of view most important and main distribution
channel as they influence all interested parties.
Researching why a cheese shop in Germany should sell raw milk cheese, the main
motivation is that German consumers are already familiar with this kind of cheese.
Especially in Bavaria this kind of cheese is well known and eaten daily. Generally, it
has been noticed an increase in the demand of raw milk cheese in Germany, thus it
could be a good time for Dutch producers to export their product. Moreover,
Germans have a long standing history of consuming cheese and therefore they have
gained a good knowledge of the different types of cheeses. They know where they
can find it and they are willing to pay the higher price for the high quality product.
Even though they don’t cook with it, they use it as part of fine dining, usually with
wine.
5.3 Conclusion Target group-persona: Although the target groups for raw milk
cheese can be a lot, the fact that this type of cheese is of high quality and therefore
expensive, this project finally focuses on the ‘lifestyle-foodies’. The traits of this
target group are the high income, economic security, successful career path and a
general tension in consuming high quality products. Based on these characteristics,
a persona was also created as the perfect example of the perfect consumer. Food
festivals take place regularly all over Germany. This is a good opportunity for
producers to promote their products and also to advertise raw milk cheese all over
Germany. This will help them to expand their consumer base and thus profit.
In our opinion and the one of our interview partners it is necessary to invest more
effort and time in changing the perceived image of Dutch cheese in Germany. At the
moment the Dutch cheese image can be characterized by the slogan: “quantity
26
instead of quality!” We conducted a survey in the cheese shop in Munich and not
even one customer out of thirty four has heard of Dutch raw milk cheese. They also
said that only the Dutch Gouda cheese is well known as the representative of Dutch
cheese in Germany. As the respondents are representing our target group with an
average age of 48 and consume cheese two times a week they have special attitude
towards food: eat not much, but only best quality. In the shop owners and especially
our point of view, much more promotion in the forms of broadcasting, printing
press and internet are all vital forms to be used in promoting the cheese image in
Germany. The whole Dutch cheese industry, not only single producers, should
collaborate in improving the image like the Swiss and French cheese industries do
with generic advertising campaigns.
6. Appendices
6.1 References
1. www.germanfoods.org
Date of use: 14-02-2012
2. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gm.html
Date of use: 14-02-2012
3. http://www.indexmundi.com
Date of use: 14-02-2012
4. http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/statistics/themes.html
Date of use: 14-02-2012
5. http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Economie_van_Duitsland#Groeicijfers_industri.C3.ABle_productie
Date of use: 14-02-2012
6. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/231186/Germany/233599/Daily-lifeand-social-customs
27
Date of use: 14-02-2012
7. http://library.thinkquest.org/26576/
Date of use: 14-02-2012
8. http://www.oup.com/uk/orc/bin/9780199296378/01student/additional/
page_12.htm
Date of use: 14-02-2012
9. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107568.html
Date of use: 14-02-2012
10. http://www.gfk.com/group/press_information/press_releases/008988/
index.en.html
Date of use: 14-02-2012
11. http://www.germany.co.za/politics.html
Date of use: 13-02-2012
12. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3997.htm
Date of use: 13-02-2012
13. www.bmelv.de
Date of use: 13-02-2012
14. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_milk.html
Date of use: 13-02-2012
15. http://www.slowfood.com/rawmilk/eng/52/europe.html Date of use: 13-02-2012
16. http://cheese-project-germany.blogspot.com/2012/03/articles.html
Date of use: 15-03-2012
17. http://www.milch-und-mehr.de/de/11758-Vorzugsmilch
Date of use: 20-02-2012
18. http://www.tagesspiegel.de/weltspiegel/essen-trinken/rohmilchkaese-kampf-derkulturen/1282532.html
Date of use: 20-02-2012
19. http://www.dairyfoodsconsulting.com/pdf/German_raw_milk_system.pdf
Date of use: 20-02-2012
20. http://www.sunherb.com/RawMilk.htm
Date of use: 20-02-2012
21. http://germanfood.about.com/od/regionalspecialties/a/regions.htm
Date of use: 16-02-2012
22. http://www.germanfoods.org/consumer/facts/guidetocheese.cfm
Date of use: 16-02-2012
23. http://martinmetzmacher.com/dutch-german-cultural-differences/
Date of use: 20-02-2012
24. Rolf Lunheim, Culture in Business: Introduction to cross-cultural leadership and
communication, p. 41
Date of use: 20-02-2012
25. Rolf Lunheim, Culture in Business: Introduction to cross-cultural leadership and
communication, p. 49
Date of use: 20-02-2012
26. Rolf Lunheim, Culture in Business: Introduction to cross-cultural leadership and
communication, p. 52
Date of use: 20-02-2012
27. http://www.internetworldstats.com/eu/de.html
Date of use: 20-02-2012
28. Interview with cheese shop in Munich
Date of interview: 26-02-2012
29. www.slowfood.com/
Date of use: 10-03-2012
30. www.slowfood.de
Date of use: 10-03-2012
31. http://www.naturalnews.com/031471_raw_milk_cheese.html
Date of use: 23-02-2012
32. http://www.destination-healthy-foods.com/Raw-Cheese.html
28
Date of use: 23-02-2012
33. http://www.clal.it/en/index.php?section=gouda_k Date of use: 23-02-2012
34. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/health/25brody.html
Date of use: 23-02-2012
35. http://www.milchhof-ekenhorst.de/unser_hof.html
Date of use: 18-02-2012
36. http://www.milchhof-ekenhorst.de/produkte.html
Date of use: 18-02-2012
37. http://www.marienhof1.de/
Date of use: 18-02-2012
38. http://www.zak.de/artikel/7420/Schoemberg-Landesweiter-Vorreiter-bei-Kaeseaus-Vorzugsmilch-Kurze-Wege-hohe-Qualitaet
Date of use: 29-02-2012
39. http://www.boerde-kaese.de/
Date of use: 29-02-2012
40. http://www.oekolandbau.de/verbraucher/kaufen/biowarenkunde/kaese/
rohmilchkaese-und-auermilchkaese/
Date of use: 29-02-2012
41. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_milk#Germany/
Date of use: 29-02-2012
42. http://www.milch-und-mehr.de/de/11761-Erzeugerbetriebe/
Date of use: 29-02-2012
43. http://www.dairyfoodsconsulting.com/pdf/EU_cheese_safety_report.pdf/
Date of use: 29-02-2012
44. http://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/deutscher-kaese-man-muss-ihm-zeitzur-reife-lassen-11646438.html
Date of use: 29-02-2012
45. Interview at De Huppe
Date of interview: 06-03-2012
46. Interview cheese shop Munich
47. http://www.research-in-germany.de/discover-germany/german-food-and-drink/
26414/german-food-and-drink-breakfast-lunch-and-dinner.html/
48. Interview cheese shop Munich
49. http://www.farmsteadfresh.com/buy-raw-milk-cheese-online-store.html/
Date of use: 11-03-2012
50. http://www.foodreference.com/html/germany-food-festivals-12.html
Date of use: 11-03-2012
6.2 Project contract
Background
The main aim of the Slow Food movement is that food is produced in a traditional
way with the use of regional resources. In this way Slow Food supports
environmentally, friendly and local farming.
Importance of the project
The company Slow Food wants to help small cheese producers selling their cheese
globally with special emphasis on Germany.
Definition of the problem
There are many small producers in the Netherlands, who produce raw milk cheese.
This cheese is not that well known compared to the cheese, which is produced in
big factories. Our task is, to develop a marketing strategy how the cheese can be
sold to Germany.
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Project objectives
-
Find a market segment to sell the cheese in Germany.
Develop a marketing strategy
Project commission and results
We deliver a research report and the conclusion is advisory.
Project activities and planning
Week
Activity
Deadline
2
Blog name (blogger.com)
08.02.12
2
Arrange a visit to the farm
08.02.12
3
Macro Analysis Germany
15.02.12
4
Meso Analysis
25.02.12
5
05.03.12
6
Individual motivation for buying raw milk
cheese
Conclusion and recommendations
7
Presentation
-
14.03.12
Code of conduct
Everybody has to keep to the deadline which was set by the group.
When we have project meetings everybody has to be present or if they cannot make
it they have to contact a group member prior to the meeting.
When a group member is often not acting in the sense of the others and does not
cooperate actively, consequences will follow (Informing the teacher).
How to organize the meeting
We use the blog to contact each other. We have made a gmail account as well, where
we can share information.
Responsibilities
We split the tasks equally among the group members each week.
Project boundaries
The length of our project is seven weeks. This projects includes detailed market
research on The Netherlands and Germany.
Quality
We aim for high quality standards in our work and we hope to achieve this by having
regular group meetings to discuss our process. Furthermore we will try to make use
of only high quality and safe sources (experts). The result of the project should be
convincing.
Project organization
Names
Country
Maximilian Germany
Hüller
Field of
Telephone
E-mail address
study
number
Economics +316215729 [email protected]
48
Function
Chairman
30
Karin Visser The
Economics +316184134 [email protected] Secretary
Netherlands
26
om
Mary Makri Greece
Economics
[email protected]
Ilse
The
Economics +316167805 [email protected] Contact
Kruidhof
Netherlands
77
m
Person
Niall
Ireland
Economics
[email protected]
Prendergast
The chairman organizes and leads the meetings.
The secretary writes down the notes during the meetings.
The contact person arranges the trip to the farm.
Projects costs and revenues
We are with 5 persons who work fifty hours for the project. The costs per hour are
€10. The costs will be 50 x €10 = €500 per person. In total amount it will be €2500.
The printing costs are €0, 05 per page.
Risk analysis
There is the possibility that we have to face different kind of risks:
- When a member of the group is ill, the others will try to compensate that in
the short-term and they will try to continue, as it is possible.
- if there are other delays according like no reasonable sources, no possibility
to visit a producer or no information-input , we will try to solve it together
and in urgent matters we would ask the teacher.
For other unexpected problems we will discuss the issue with the group as a whole
and come to a resolution which suits all groups’ members.
Logbook
Meeting 10-02-2012
11.00 meeting started.
11.30 meeting ended.
At first: We devided the tasks of the macro-analysis, including the DESTEP-analysis:
- Demographic: Mary
- Economical: Karin
- Social cultural: Mary
- Technological: Karin
- Ecological: Niall
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-
Political: Max
Introduction: Ilse
At second we devided the other points:
- Raw milk cheese import regulations: Max
- Overview of the current main cheese production consumption related issues in
Germany: Karin
- Attitude towards (artisanal high quality) food in general: Niall
- Cultural differences which could be relevant for the way to best promote raw milk
cheese: Ilse
- What is the emotional image of Holland with respect to cheese with the target
groups: Ilse
- How is the NGO Slow Food perceived in Germany: Mary
Meeting 17-02-2012
Start 11.00
Finish 14.10
We have made the questions for the interview for the farmer and for the cheese
shop in Munich.
Besides we have devided the tasks for week 4, these are the questions of the mesoanalysis.
- Current export barriers with Dutch raw milk cheese farmers. Mary
- What are the consumer market segments for raw milk cheese? Karin
- Who are competitors? Karin
- What distribution channels for raw milk cheese are available? Max
- What are the motivations for cheese shops to sell Dutch Raw Milk cheese? Ilse
- Consumers attitudes towards raw milk cheese, buying, shopping , cooking,
eating. Niall
- What are the main publications relevant to the consumer or distribution channels.
Ilse
- Are there any societal participants: media, platforms, networks, partnerships?
Mary
- Where and how do the participants meet each other: events, online networks,
social media. Niall
Meeting 06-03-2012
Today we went to the farm in Zwolle, De Huppe. We had an interview with a woman
who works at the farm. The woman was able to answer a lot of our questions and
she showed us who to make cheese and as well she showed the cheese shop where
we were able to taste various different raw milk cheeses.
Meeting 09-03-2012
Start: 10.30
End: 14.26
Today we made the target group and the persona together. Besides we made an
overview of the whole project to see which points are missing. We will divide the
missing and points and finish these at home.
Missing points:
- Cultural differences which could be relevant for the way to best promote raw milk
cheese: Karin
32
- What is the emotional image of Holland with respect to cheese with the target
groups: Ilse
- How is the NGO Slow Food perceived in Germany: Mary
- Current export barriers with Dutch raw milk cheese farmers. (is already written?)
- What are the motivations for cheese shops to sell Dutch Raw Milk cheese? Ilse
- Are there any societal participants: media, platforms, networks, partnerships?
Mary
- Where and how do the participants meet each other: events, online networks,
social media. Niall
Meeting 13-03-2012
Start: 14.30
End: 16.25
The macro- and meso-analyses are complete. Today we have made the conclusions
and recommendations. We did not finish it yet, so tomorrow there will be another
meeting to finish it.
Meeting 14-03-2012
Start: 14.30
End: 17.40
Today we finished the conclusions and recommendations. We made a summary,
introduction and the table of contents. We added a few pictures to the project and
finally we printed it at home.
33