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Trade

France - Canadians catch a whiff of French cheese

CETA will enable a French cheese producer to satisfy Canadian demand whilst keeping all of its production in France.

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Canada
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EU exporter
France

Fromagerie Delin is a French cheese producer based close to Nuits-Saint-Georges in Burgundy. The company is a perfect example of the opportunities created for small businesses and consumers as a result of EU trade deals.

Fromagerie Delin’s success as an international exporter has had important economic and social consequences in the region. In addition to investments in new production units and support for local contractors in the supply chain, Fromagerie Delin purchases its milk from local producers at prices well above the market rate. 

The company’s turnover has increased five-fold in 15 years thanks to exports, which now make up 43% of its profits, 12% of which come solely from the Canadian market.  In addition, the producer has employed 5 times the number of employees it had in 2001.

Canadian consumers are very fond of French cheeses, but these products were until recently subject to strict quotas introduced in 1974. These quotas did no longer reflect current Canadian demand and their presence had left the cheese sector at a standstill.

An increase in cheese quotas, as set out under the EU-Canada deal, resulted in an immediate increase of at least 25% in cheese sales to Canada.

Find out more about the EU’s trade agreement with Canada