In Central America more than 6 million people search online and participate in conversations associated with dairy products, with ice cream, fudge and yogurt being some of the products with the greatest presence in consumer interactions.
An analysis of consumer interests and preferences in Central America, prepared by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, yields interesting results on people's preferences and tastes in food and other types of products or services.
In 2016 Central American countries imported 74,573 tons of cheese and curd, 4% more than in 2015.
Figures from the information system on the Cheese and Curd Market in Central America, compiled by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData : [GRAFICA caption = "Click to interact with the graph"]
Dairy imports into Honduras remained stable between 2013 and 2014, increasing by only 4% in each year, making a total of $42 million worth of imports in 2014.
Within the sector of dairy imports the product which increased the most was milk and cream , going from $15 million in 2013 to $20 million in 2014, which is an increase of 33% in imports.
However, imports of fresh cheese (unripened), including whey cheese, and curd, recorded a reduction of 43%, going from $8.3 million in 2013 to $4.7 million in 2014.
While the average milk consumption per person in Central America is less than 100 kilos per year, Costa Ricans consume twice that amount in the time span.
According to the Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER) from 2009 to 2013, imports of dairy products grew by 80%. The top dairy products entering the market are cheeses, due to product diversification, the positive attitude of local consumers to new flavors and the high resistance of the product during transportation and distribution.
Both consumption and supply of these types of cheese has increased in recent years.
Adrian Alonso, director of operations for the Auto Mercado supermarket chain shares the vision of gourmet cheese producers, like Maritza Solano of Santa Cruz de Turrialba and Miguel Coronado Guard on the increased consumption of specialty cheese by Costa Ricans.
"Adrian Alonso, attributes it to new trends in consumption, such as with wines, where there is a desire to 'find the perfect marriage between food and wine'", reported Elfinancierocr.com