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It’s a cheese that has been delighting young and old for over a century: La Vache qui rit is not experiencing the crisis, but is also accelerating its development in Asia. The round boxes are now heading to Indonesia.
This text corresponds to part of the transcription of the report above. Click on the video to watch it in full.
With her smile, her earrings and her red dress, she is recognizable from afar in the cheese aisle. The Laughing Cow, a familiar face. One in three French people consume it, like this family: “It’s so good in your mouth when it melts”comments a little girl. A customer claims to have consumed it “in the soup from a very young age”.
It is in the heart of the Jura, in the historic factory, that this melted cheese is made. For 100 years, the taste has remained the same. “The basic recipe is a mixture of milk, cheese, butter and salt”explains Geoffroy d’Ales de Corbet, director of the site. But the company exports to 120 destinations. So, the preparation is adapted to the expectations of each country, confides the site director: “If we take the example of Asia, we will enrich the Laughing Cow mixture with vitamins A and D”.
The four production lines produce more than a billion servings per year, some of which are shipped to the Asian market. “The objective for the Bel group is to put its signature on the market. It is the individual portion of a healthy cheese, the core market of the population under 42, and to become a leader in this Asian market”explains Geoffroy d’Ales de Corbet.
A market with enormous potential, which has forced the company to also manufacture on site, such as in a factory in Vietnam. In a supermarket in Shanghai, China, cheese is sold in several forms. The product keeps its name in French, but also in English or Chinese. Today, some children are discovering it. For others, cheese is already part of their daily life: “I come here to buy cheese because French cheeses are of good quality. I like to eat them for breakfast, on bread, with coffee. It’s quick, it’s good for your health”confides a customer.
In the store, sales have increased by 20% in recent years with a particular consumption feature: “Here, The laughing cowwe do not consume it during a meal. It’s more like a snack, whether for adults or children.”indicates a seller.
Today, the French family business is targeting the Indonesian market, a market of 275 million inhabitants.
