Sustainable Development of Cheese Production in the Altai Region: Current State and Prospects

Cheese making is centuries old, and each nation has its own cheese specialties. Russian cheese making traditions are extremely diverse due to our multinational population, which makes regional cheese-making industries a relevant research topic. The Altai Region has always been the leader in domestic cheese production. This article describes the current state and prospects of the large-scale and artisan cheese businesses in the Altai Region against a set of average indicators for the Siberian Federal District and the Russian Federation. The analysis included top 20 cheese producers in the region. The dynamics of the physical volume of fat cheese sales and consumer prices revealed a positive trend in the development of the cheese making industry in the Altai Region. Local ingredients, natural milk, and small artisan dairy farms are its competitive advantage.