Large jura format.From New York, this communication agency is working on the county expansion in the United States

By Joffrey Fodimbi published on

For more than ten years, the Comté Interprofessional Management Committee has been working in collaboration with Jean-Louis Carbonnier and his communication firm.Installed in New York, the man is working on the expansion of the county in the USA, with importing professionals, distributors and cremiers- but also with the general public, via the specialized press and web influencers.

News: What is the link you have with the Comté Management Interprofessional Committee (CIGC)?

Jean-Louis Carbonnier: "With my communication cabinet, we are the representatives of the interprofession on the American market.When the interprofession started its actions in the United States, it created the County Cheese Association, which is not an association in the French sense.For the past ten years, I have therefore been working with CIGC, for which I have been exercising various missions on the American market.»»

Qui est Jean-Louis Carbonnier ?Originaire de Reims, Jean-Louis Carbonnier est arrivé au États-Unis en 1988. Il débute sa vie professionnelle dans une agence de communication à New York où durant six ans il s’occupe principalement de la communication pour le Comité interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne (CIVC). En 2000, il crée son propre cabinet de communication, où il continue de s’occuper du CIVC, puis petit à petit, d’autres clients dans le domaine des vins et spiritueux. Peu avant le départ en retraite de Claudine Fox, qui depuis le début gérait la communication du Comité Interprofessionnel de Gestion du Comté aux États-Unis, cette dernière lui propose de prendre le relais ; durant trois ans, les deux professionnels de la communication collaborent afin de former Jean-Louis Carbonnier à ce nouveau marché. Depuis, l’homme s’occupe, avec son cabinet, de la promotion du comté sur l’ensemble du territoire américain.

What are these missions?

J.-L.Carbonnier: “This goes from the promotion of the county on social networks and to the press, but also the dissemination of newsletter with professionals - importers, distributors and cremiers - as well as old -up actions on the market concerning the presence of the countyamong the main cheese distributors.We also represent the county at the Fancy Food Show, which is a large grocery show which takes place twice a year, once in New York and once in San Francisco.We also organize a press trip every year in the Jura, in order to bring the journalists and influencers directly on site.Finally, we have training missions for cremiers in association with the American Cheese Society.»»

Your communication action is therefore only for professionals, not the general public?

J.-L.Carbonnier: "Yes, essentially.But we also affect the general public, certainly in a limited manner, through the press and social networks.But you have to understand that the craft cheese market is very small in the United States;So the number of journalists and influencers who are interested is quite limited.»»

A dedicated Instagram page

Créée il y a sept ans en plus d’une page Facebook, « car sur le marché américain Instagram est beaucoup plus important que Facebook»», la page "comte_usa" permet à l’agence de communication de valoriser l’image du comté auprès de la presse, des influenceurs et du grand public.We have three types of publication on this page;First of all, posts created in connection with the CIGC, on the profession in itself breeders and county manufacturers.Last year, for example, we had an interview with the president of the CIGC on the occasion of the passage of the Tour de France.Then we feed our page with the help of culinary influencers;And finally we also pay influencers so that they produce recipes, cheese trays towards the general public.Indeed, for Americans, cheese requires staging in its presentation, much more than for the French.»»

How did the county market develop in the United States developed?

J.-L.Carbonnier: "Originally, there were only a few cremiars who were direct importance.But thanks to our presence at the Fancy Food Show, we managed to convince distributors specializing in gastronomy to be interested in the county and to import them.Little by little they were interested in it, then very important brands also started to market them, such as Trader Joe’s, Costco or Whole Foods Market which all have a national presence.Initially, the sale of the county on the American shelves was especially limited to the holiday season;Then little by little, thanks to the efforts carried out with distributors and cremiaries, county imports have gradually increased, allowing today to find them throughout the year.»»

Suddenly, what type of customer consumes county?

J.-L.Carbonnier: “The American market is essentially dominated, 99 %, by industrial cheeses - whether parmesans, Provolons, Mozzarellas or Cheddars - which are sold mainly to make recipes or sandwiches.The artisanal cheese is higher, and often costs more than 15 dollars per book (around 12 € for 450 g).The appellation cheeses really affect few people throughout American territory;Especially an audience called Foody (cooking passionate, n.D.L.R.), but also people who love travel, who are quite sophisticated.Because it must be understood that cheese, according to our French standards, does not correspond to American habits.»»

And where do they buy it?

J.-L.Carbonnier: “The craft cheese market began to develop in the 90s.For example thirty years ago in San Francisco, there was artisanal cheese only in two cremiars;Today is a dozen.But it must also be understood that in these shops, there are also other products intended to accompany cheese, such as wine, but also nuts, honeys, etc..The world of fine cheeses is therefore quite narrow, and for some of the consumers, it is perceived as being linked to holiday products, and not as daily consumption products.More broadly, you can also find county in high -end supermarkets which offer gourmet products and which are aimed at a more posh clientele.»»

• The figure: 6,12,612 tonnes of county were exported in 2020 to the United States on the almost 6,000 tonnes exported internationally.As a reminder, each year, nearly 45,000 tonnes are produced in the AOP zone.In front of the USA, coming to the top of the importing countries of Comté, Germany with 1,559 tonnes in 2020, followed by Belgium, with 1,245 tonnes, and the United Kingdom with 800 tonnes.

And suddenly, in what quantity are they buying?

J.-L.Carbonnier: "When an American enters a creamie, he will buy several cheeses to make a set.But each cheese will be bought in small quantities;about 100 grams.This too because there is the price factor that intervenes.When we make press trips to the Jura with American journalists, they are always impressed, when we take them to a cremerie, to see customers buy county by 500 grams in addition to other cheeses.»»

For these consumers who have this knowledge of craft cheeses, how do they particularly perceive the county?

J.-L.Carbonnier: "We must already keep in mind that in the United States, the names are in the field of credits.For Brie for example, you will be able to find goat brie, a kind of brie made with goat milk.An American who knows Brie type cheese, does not necessarily know the brie as we can know it in France.But thanks to the actions of the CIGC with professionals, the county benefits from a very beautiful love rating.Respect and admiration that also exists in American cheese producers, who do not hesitate to be inspired by it to develop their own cheeses;Because in the United States, the names as in France do not exist, producers of handicrafts, as there are in Vermont, manufacture many different cheeses.»»

Regarding the ripening of the county, do American consumers pay attention to it?

J.-L.Carbonnier: "Having a proposal from different county refinctions is only found in the most sophisticated cremiers addressed to more informed consumers.From our point of view, we are already very happy to have consumers who buy county;The question of refining is quite secondary.Even if of course, at the level of professionals, there is always a certain curiosity on these different refining.»»

A substantial budget

On an overall budget of just over one million euros for international communication, the CIGC devotes a budget of 200 to € 250,000 annual for the United States.In addition to the agency of Jean-Louis Carbonier for the USA, the interprofession also collaborates with communication agencies in all the countries towards which it wishes to develop. « Nous avons des agences différentes avec qui nous collaborons en Allemagne et en Belgique par exemple, car à chaque fois nous essayons de nous adapter aux coutumes du pays»», précise Aurélia Chimier, responsable du service communication.

On the side of professionals, is there a reflection around the choice of importing the county of such or such Jurassian refinee?

J.-L.Carbonnier: "Yes, but we must also understand that the refiners themselves come to the United States and have been prospecting on the market, and this for twenty years, which has allowed them to develop relations.In all, they are about ten to export to American territory.In recent years, some great French cremiars have also developed relations with American distributors, in order to offer them selections they have made, thus making it possible to add a new dimension to the dissemination of the county in the USA.»»

If I understand correctly, now that the Place du Comté is made in the USA with professionals, you still have to develop the brand image with the general public?

J.-L.Carbonnier: “Of course;For this we start working with more traditional journalists and authors of cooking recipe books.However, county producers succeeding very well to sell on the French domestic market, I am not sure that if the American market exploded, they would succeed in following.»»

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