Distribution punchline: There is a version of the China dairy story that focuses on infant formula and commodity milk powder. That story is well-documented. There is another version that has been building for years and has now reached commercial scale: the Chinese home cook discovering premium imported cheese. China’s imported cheese market grew to USD 1.5 billion in 2025, up from USD 620 million in 2019. That growth is not driven by Western expats. It is driven by Chinese consumers who have learned to cook with cheese at home, who watch pizza-making content on Douyin, and who buy mozzarella at Hema for their Saturday dinner.
The cheese import story in China breaks into two distinct markets. The first: processed cheese (sliced cheese for burgers, mozzarella for pizza, cheddar for sandwiches) used in food service and at home by the Chinese consumer who has adopted Western cooking. The second: premium artisan cheese (French AOP varieties, Italian DOP cheeses, aged specialties) consumed by the Chinese food connoisseur and expatriate community. Both markets are growing. Both require different distribution strategies. Processed cheese for cooking is the volume opportunity. Premium artisan cheese is the margin opportunity.
The China cheese consumer in 2026
The Chinese cheese consumer profile has changed faster in the past 5 years than in the preceding 30. Before 2019, cheese consumption in China was primarily an expatriate and Western restaurant category. The COVID period accelerated Chinese home cooking dramatically, and with it, experimentation with Western cooking techniques that use cheese. The Chinese home cook who learned to make baked pasta, pizza, and cheese-topped rice dishes during lockdown periods created demand for mozzarella, cheddar, and cream cheese that the China premium grocery channel had not previously needed to stock at scale. Today, three Chinese consumer profiles drive cheese import growth. The first: the home cooking enthusiast (urban, 28 to 45, any gender, income above RMB 12,000 per month) who buys mozzarella for pizza night, parmesan for pasta, and cream cheese for Western-style baking. This consumer shops on Hema and buys cheese as a regular ingredient, not a special occasion purchase. The second: the wine and cheese pairing consumer (food enthusiast, income above RMB 20,000 per month) who is building at-home cheese board culture alongside a growing interest in imported wine. This consumer buys premium French and Italian cheese for tasting events with friends, influenced by Xiaohongshu cheese board content. The third: the children’s nutrition-conscious parent who has adopted cheese as a calcium-rich, protein-rich children’s snack and buys string cheese, mini gouda, and processed cheese sticks for their child’s lunchbox.
China cheese distribution channels in 2026
Hema Fresh is the dominant premium dairy and cheese retail channel in China. Hema’s imported cheese section has expanded significantly since 2021: the current Hema Shanghai premium store carries 80 to 120 cheese SKUs including French AOP brie, camembert, and comté, Italian DOP parmigiano reggiano and grana padano, and imported fresh mozzarella. Hema’s cold chain (2 to 6°C dairy section with 2-hour delivery) supports premium cheese distribution in ways that standard supermarket chains cannot match. Sam’s Club is a second key channel: Sam’s Club carries premium cheese at competitive membership pricing, particularly popular for bulk mozzarella and parmesan purchases by the home cooking consumer. City Super and Ole (premium supermarket chains) for specialty and artisan cheese retail. Tmall Global (CBEC) for cheese that can be shipped temperature-controlled: premium vacuum-packed hard cheeses (parmesan, aged gouda, manchego) are suitable for Tmall CBEC because they are shelf-stable at refrigerated temperatures during shipping. Fresh mozzarella and soft ripened cheeses (brie, camembert) require controlled-temperature logistics that limits CBEC viability to SF Express cold chain service, adding cost. Western restaurants, pizza chains, hotel food service: the B2B food service channel for processed and semi-hard cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, gouda) is significant in China’s major cities.
Case study: French comté distributor builds Hema as anchor
A French AOP comté cheese producer (12-month and 18-month aged comté, AOC/AOP certified, vacuum packed in 200g and 500g retail portions) entered China in Q2 2023 with a Hema-first strategy. The Shanghai distributor partner secured a Hema Shanghai pilot listing for the 200g 12-month comté at RMB 98. Month 1 to 3: 8 Hema stores in Shanghai’s premium districts. Month 4: Xiaohongshu campaign with 3 Shanghai food bloggers showing comté used in French onion soup and cheese board recipes, emphasizing the AOP origin story and the 12-month aging process. Month 5: Hema pilot velocity reached 8 units per store per week (above Hema’s 6-unit threshold). Month 6: Hema expanded to 28 Shanghai stores and added the 18-month SKU. Month 9: Sam’s Club Shenzhen buyer meeting. Year 1 revenue: RMB 2.8 million.
The lesson: Premium cheese with a strong origin story (AOP certification, specific terroir, visible aging information) is the format that Hema’s food-enthusiast consumer responds to. The Xiaohongshu recipe content showing Chinese home cooks using comté in familiar dishes (not just cheese boards) expanded the product’s appeal beyond the wine-and-cheese consumer to the home cooking consumer who had not previously bought comté but understood it through the cooking context.
Case study: Italian mozzarella brand loses cold chain race
An Italian fresh mozzarella producer (fior di latte, buffalo mozzarella, 125g and 250g balls, 21-day shelf life from production) entered China CBEC via Tmall Global in 2023. The product’s 21-day shelf life created a logistics problem that the brand had not anticipated: sea freight from Italy to Shanghai bonded warehouse took 28 to 35 days, which exceeded the product’s shelf life before it could be sold to consumers. Switching to air freight increased per-kilo cost from EUR 2.80 to EUR 8.40, eliminating any viable consumer price point under RMB 68 for a 125g ball. The brand withdrew from CBEC and instead worked with a local Italian importer who sourced the same mozzarella variety from an Italian producer with a China-approved export facility that could airfreight weekly production runs. Local Shanghai storage in an importer cold store reduced logistics cost to a viable level.
The lesson: Fresh cheese (mozzarella, burrata, fresh chèvre) with shelf lives under 30 days is not viable for CBEC import from European production. The logistics chain is too long. The viable import model for fresh cheese in China is: GACC-registered producer in Europe with established air freight relationship to a bonded cold store in Shanghai, supply to a China importer who manages Hema and City Super distribution from Shanghai storage. CBEC works for hard and semi-hard vacuum-packed cheeses with 6 to 24 month shelf lives.
What Xiaohongshu says about cheese in China
Xiaohongshu (RED) is the primary cheese discovery platform in China. Chinese food bloggers on RED post cheese board content, French and Italian restaurant reviews that reference specific cheese varieties, and home cooking content using imported cheese. The cheese board trend (influenced by Western social media cheese board aesthetics adapted for Chinese home entertaining) has driven significant search volume for premium cheese varieties on Tmall. RED posts showing how to build a “French cheese board” (brie, comté, roquefort, fruit, honey) generate 200,000 to 600,000 views and create direct Tmall search demand for the cheese varieties shown. Douyin cheese content is more recipe-focused: cheese pull pizza videos, baked rice with melted cheese, cheese hot pot are the high-engagement cheese formats on Douyin.
FAQ: Importing and distributing premium cheese in China
What registration does a foreign cheese producer need for China export?
Since January 2022, all foreign food producers exporting to China (including dairy and cheese producers) must be registered with China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC) under the overseas food establishment registration system. Dairy products (including cheese) require GACC registration of the producing establishment before export to China. Registration is applied for through the competent authority of the exporting country (for France: DGAL; for Italy: MIPAAF; for the Netherlands: NVWA). Registration takes 3 to 6 months for new applicants. Without GACC registration, cheese cannot be imported into China through general trade channels. CBEC import via Tmall Global does not require GACC registration of the producer, but products must still comply with China food safety standards and the importer assumes responsibility for product compliance.
What are China’s labeling requirements for imported cheese?
Imported cheese sold through general trade channels in China requires a Chinese-language label compliant with GB 7718 (General Standard for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods) and GB 5420 (Cheese National Standard). Required label elements in Chinese: product name, ingredient list, net weight, country of origin, producer name and address, China importer name and address, production date and expiry date, storage temperature requirement. PDO/DOP/AOP certification logos may be displayed but must be explained in Chinese. For cheese sold through CBEC (Tmall Global), the physical label does not need to be in Chinese, but the Tmall product listing must provide all required Chinese-language product information. Premium cheese with aging information (12-month aged, 18-month aged) may state this on the Chinese label as a quality descriptor.
Distributing Premium Dairy or Cheese in China?
Asia Pro Distribution connects international dairy and cheese producers with qualified Chinese importers, Hema and Sam’s Club buyer access, and cold chain distribution strategy. See our China distribution services and find a China distributor. Contact our team to discuss your China dairy market entry.
