Arabian cheese delights Danes

Puck, one of Arla Foods' most popular brands in the Middle East, is proving highly popular in the Danish market. The Arabian feta-style cheese follows a growing trend for ethnic and, increasingly, Arabic delicacies.

Puck 'feta', which was first launched May, is now available in most Danish food stores. Made at Bislev Dairy in North East Jutland, the product is identical to that sold in the Middle East.

"With Arabic lettering on the packaging, Puck has a clear ethnic profile and appeals to consumers with a taste for the exotic,"​ said Sine Konge Jensen, product manager for the company's Danish division.

She believes that there is a large market for Puck, made up of young consumers who have either travelled widely in the Middle East or immigrants with an Arabic background.

Puck is an umbrella brand for a range of dairy products, including cream cheese in glass containers, (by far the largest product in the Puck range) and a cream dessert which have been available in specialist shops in Denmark for some years.

"We've seen substantial interest from our customers in the retail sector and we're currently assessing whether there are other export products from distant markets which could appeal to the domestic market,"​ said Jensen.

She also believes that Puck commercials, shown on Arabic satellite channels watched by Danish-based immigrants, have helped promote sales of the product in Denmark.