Want to give a unique and delicious gift from the heart this holiday season while supporting Wisconsin’s dairy farm families?
Doing so puts you in good company, with 45% of food gifters purchasing and sharing food items to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. Sharing specialty foods, like Wisconsin cheese, with people on your gift list helps them create memories and experiences. And, in 2020, four in 10 Americans (39%) said they’d prefer to receive food as a gift.
Growth in gifting food items mirrors the trend of how people are changing the way they shop. People are looking for noteworthy experiences across both digital and physical retail outlets with brands they trust like Wisconsin cheese, especially during the holidays.
As a result, food gifting has become a significant business opportunity.
• In 2019, consumers spent $15.55 billion on food gifts, up from $12.4 billion five years earlier.
• If you add in corporate gifting, the total market is worth over $21 billion and is expected to average 4% annual growth through 2024.
But just how much cheese do consumers share? A lot, as it turns out. According to research company Packaged Facts:
• In 2021, 13% of consumers had given a cheese gift to someone else, up from 9% in 2020.
• Cheese gifts purchased by people for themselves also increased from 12% in 2020 to 15% in 2021.
Cheese shopping spree
To help satisfy this evolving and growing consumer demand and highlight some of the award-winning cheese the state has to offer, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin (DFW) curated a list of cheese companies that offer gift baskets.
The online shop connects food gifters to local cheese companies partnering with DFW and offers options to fit every price range. This allows online shoppers to purchase directly from participating cheese companies that craft, package, and ship the gift baskets.
Wisconsin is the leader in specialty cheese production and home to more than 600 varieties, types, and styles of cheese crafted by licensed cheesemakers using quality Wisconsin milk. Gift baskets feature everything from Dutch Goudas to Italian cheeses, Swiss cheeses, Wisconsin Originals, and more — after all, Wisconsin is like a world of cheese in just one state. For the last 180 years, cheesemakers from everywhere have settled in Wisconsin, bringing their cheesemaking traditions and expertise.
So, whether the people on your gift list are serious foodies, charcuterie fanatics, casual snackers, or simply enjoy the comforting goodness of tasty cheese, you’ll find plenty of options to satisfy everyone on your list. For more hints about cheese pairings and recipes, be sure to check out wisconsincheese.com.
Holiday shopping has never been so easy! If you know someone who’s been extra nice this year, give them the best of Wisconsin cheese in a gift basket delivered right to their doorstep.
And be sure to spread the word about this unique gift-giving opportunity and share this information with family and friends via your social channels.
To learn more about DFW, visit wisconsindairy.org.
