Are You A ‘Jarlsberg Man’? Aussie Study Reveals What Your Choice Of Cheese Says About You

New cheese research from Roy Morgan shows that over 15 million Australians buy some type of cheese every grocery shop with block cheese – bought by 13.5 million aussies – easily the most popular.

However, the research also uncovered a new grocery buying individual Roy Morgan has dubbed ‘Jarlsberg Man’ (yes, B&T is unsure why women apparently don’t buy Jarlsberg!)

‘Jarlsberg man’ is a big spender in the top socio-economic AB quintile, most likely with no kids and in his mid-life household and almost twice as likely to drink wine with his meals as the average Australian. ‘Jarlsberg man’ is more likely to agree that “You can tell a type of person by the type of car they drive” and “trust well-known brands better than the stores’ own”.

Apparently, ‘Jarlsberg man’ is skewed heavily towards Australians aged 35 years or older and is far more likely to have a diploma or degree than the average cheese buyer and be working full-time as a professional or manager with a household income of over $120,000 per annum.

For the man who enjoys his Jarlsberg cheese it’s important to “always read the business section of the newspaper” and “watch the news on TV to keep up-to-date”. ‘Jarlsberg man’ is more likely than the average Australian to attend professional sporting events and work in his garden and is more than twice as likely to attend the ballet, opera, or go to a jazz, classical or blues performance.

Grated/shredded cheese and sliced cheese drive growth in cheese market

Although block cheese is the most widely bought type of cheese, the strongest growth over the last three years has come from a significant increases in Australians buying grated/shredded cheese (up 2.6 points to 68.3 per cent), sliced cheese (up 2.4 points to 67.7 per cent) and cheese snacks or portions (up three points to 43.6 per cent).

Slightly fewer than half of Australian grocery buyers now buy creamed cheese or cheese spreads (49.7 per cent, up 0.4 points) and just over a third of Australian grocery buyers buy soft cheese such as Brie, Camembert etc. (36.4 per cent, up 0.9 points).

Cottage/ricotta Cheese has seen the most significant decline down by three points to 16.6 per cent according to research conducted by Roy Morgan in the 12 months to March 2019.

Block cheese buyers tend to be older than grated/shredded or sliced cheese buyers

The different types of cheeses Australians buy appeal to a diverse range of purchasers and from analysing Roy Morgan’s cheese buying profiles one can draw out the more unique qualities of a typical buyer of block cheese or grated/shredded cheese, sliced cheese or indeed any of the different types of cheeses.

A portrait of a buyer of the widely bought block cheese is of a woman in an older household in the well-off AB socio-economic quintile aged in her 50s or 60s who enjoys a household income in excess of $100,000 although she is retired herself.

She is more likely than the average Australian to be in the Traditional Family Life and more likely to agree that “I like to drink wine with my meals’”and “People often compliment me on my cooking”. She is more likely to enjoy going to the live theatre and “always watch the news on TV to keep up-to-date’” and more likely to watch lawn bowls and golf on TV.

Grated/shredded cheese buyer watches her weight but often buys take away food

In contrast a buyer of grated/shredded cheese is a woman aged in her 30s or 40s living with children in a young couple or young parent household with a household income of over $110,000 and in full-time work. She is more likely than the average Australian to say that she “tries to buy additive free food”, “would like to be able to lose weight” and “often buys take away food to eat at home”.

She is more likely than the average Australian to go to professional sporting events and enjoy watching the NRL, car racing and the Olympic Games on TV, and more likely to consider magazines a good way to relax and unwind, and redeem coupons to get discounts or special offers.

Buyers of sliced cheese read women’s lifestyle magazines and watch ‘racing’ sports

The Sliced Cheese buyer is slightly older and likely aged in her 40s or 50s putting her squarely in Generation X. She’s a full-time white collar worker from New South Wales or Victoria with a personal income of around $50,000 a year who is a keen reader of women’s lifestyle and TV magazines.

More than the average Australian she believes crime is a growing problem in her community and tries to buy Australian made products as often as possible. She is more likely than the average Australian to “often buy frozen or chilled ready prepared meals” and more likely to agree that “taste is more important than ingredients”. She is also more likely to enjoy watching car racing, horse racing and motorcycle racing on TV and more likely than the average Australian to go fishing.