Local Proximity Cheeses: Choices That Guiding Consumers and Orienting Producers—Case Studies

In Italy, in ten years, the national production of sheep’s cheese has gone from 60 thousand tons to almost 80 thousand tons at present, a sign of a lively dynamism of the sector mainly due to a growth in demand. The significant leap in production is accompanied by that of consumption and is mainly due to pecorino (fresh and seasoned), which, together with fresh ricotta, is gaining acceptance in the national and international markets. The objective of the paper is to examine, in a study area of southern Italy, consumer preferences for locally produced pecorino cheese near kilometer zero and the profit margins of the dairy companies producing pecorino. The interviews with consumers made it possible to explore purchasing preferences based on the reasons for choosing and the points of sale where consumers buy the cheese. The interviews with the manufacturing companies highlighted a different business organization of the single production units whose economic results show, despite the difficulties, the resilience of the companies. The company’s net margins per quintal of processed milk are more or less satisfactory and supported by the positive interest of consumers. As for the latter, they show increasingly pushed trends towards the purchase of niche products at Km0, made with more sustainable production systems.