Flagship stores and faster shipping are introducing a wider range of French cheese to the dining tables of Shanghai residents, who are now gradually developing their love for the flavorful and nutritious import.
Based in Shanghai, La Cremerie is the only official flagship store in Asia recognized by the French dairy sector and the store sells only French cheese.
Opened in 2019, it now offers a wide range of cheese to Chinese customers, from Brie to the famous Comte, and even the one known as "French stinky tofu," the Livarot.
"So, this is funky, a bit ammonia. If you are afraid of that, you can avoid to eat the caster, the skin outside, but [then] you won't feel everything. Me, personally, I eat everything. There's a bit of bitterness compared to the creamy Brie. But if you have no problems with bitterness, if you like chou tofu (Chinese stinky tofu, a strong-smelling form of fermented bean curd), it's definitely something you can go for," said Bastien Famelart, a French cheese expert, when describing the rich taste of the cheese sold in La Cremerie.
It now takes considerably less time for the French cheese to be shipped from French farms to the Chinese people's dining tables, with the fastest shipping period being compressed to about a week.
"It's pretty fast now, if the customs clearance procedure is ok and the shipping goes well, normally from France to China and to Chinese dining table, the fastest period is one week," said Lyla Liu, the store manager of La Cremerie.
The freshness of the cheese is attracting more and more consumers. In the first quarter of the year, sales at the store jumped by over 18 percent compared with the same period last year.
"During winter, if (possible) fondue. You know, I put it fondue. It's kind of your hotpot. And if not, daily we have bread, and cheese, and eggs, like a normal breakfast," said a foreign customer.
"My kids like cheese and I saw a recommendation that this store offers a wider variety of cheese. I saw it on the Internet. So, I wanted to buy some cheese here," said another Chinese customer.
Bastien said there are 1,000 French cheese names belonging to six categories, but in China, there is only a minor part of them. As cooperation between China and France intensifies, he believes that there will be more cheese choices in China.
In a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in April last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping said China is willing to create a "French farm to Chinese dining table" mechanism.
France is China's largest agricultural produce importer in the European Union. During the China International Import Expo last year, China's retailers have also signed deals to bring more French wine, meat and cheese to China.
Flagship stores, faster shipping help Shanghai residents develop fondness for French cheese
