Cheese, cream and butter demand soars for Lunar New Year
As Lunar New Year approaches, New Zealand dairy is showing up in restaurants, cafes and bakeries across Asia in creative ways.
Lunar New Year is one of the biggest and most important festivals for countries like China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia. This year marks the Year of the Horse, symbolising freedom and growth.
Strawberry Red Velvet Cream Cake
Fonterra's President Global Foodservice and Greater China CEO, Teh‑han Chow, says the festival’s traditions of gathering, gifting and sharing food is driving a surge in demand for dairy.
"Consumers dine out more frequently during the festive period, exchanging gifts of food to celebrate, which is driving demand for dairy as it’s being used more often to create delicious treats and dishes," he says.
Developing festive menus with flavours symbolising good fortune and prosperity is a big part of the foodservice industry in East and Southeast Asia
Fonterra’s dairy products, sold through the Anchor Food Professionals (AFP) brand, feature widely in pastries, dishes and desserts enjoyed during this period. This growing seasonal demand is something the Co-op is well placed to serve, thanks to its focus on innovation, strong customer partnerships and accelerating growth across key markets like Southeast Asia.
Consumers dine out more frequently during the festive period, exchanging gifts of food to celebrate, which is driving demand for dairy as it’s being used more often to create delicious treats and dishes.
“Food is an important element in the celebration of Lunar New Year. The season provides a platform to launch new dishes, giving us the opportunity to co-create recipes and explore new applications of our products with customers.”
Supporting this work is AFP’s network of chefs, who work closely with restaurants, bakeries and cafés to co‑create these festive menu solutions. Based in-market AFP chefs can respond quickly to emerging trends, helping the Co-op's foodservice partners develop high‑quality dishes that resonate with consumers.
A standout item this year is the Fortune Coin Cake with a cheese pull – made using Fonterra's mozzarella cheese. This snack is associated with wishes for wealth and abundance which aligns with the general spirit of the festival as well.
Red-themed treats are also a favourite during the new year celebrations, as the colour is associated with prosperity and good luck. Desserts like strawberry cakes made with Fonterra butter are becoming a popular choice for consumers.
Across Southeast Asia, Lunar New Year is tied to gift‑giving, with cookies being a staple of festive hampers.
Fortune Coin Cakes with Cheese Pulls
“Our teams in Vietnam and Indonesia have captured this opportunity with the launch of a new range of sweet and savoury cookie concepts to share with customers, helping them develop seasonal cookie collections and driving increased butter sales.”
This hands‑on collaboration – combining chef expertise, customer insight and fast, flexible product development – enables the Co‑op to both support its customers while capturing the growing demand from the region.
Dairy is not traditionally used in Southeast Asian cuisines, but it is being used more frequently in fusion dishes that are in demand during the festival.
“Rising interest in fusion and Western‑style dishes is supporting demand for our dairy ingredients like UHT cream, cheese and butter. A lot of our customers have developed dishes that blend local ingredients with a modern dairy twist like Salmon Lotus Seed Pizza.
“By staying close to market trends and collaborating with customers, we’re able to quickly see what’s going on and turn ideas into practical solutions to meet our customers’ evolving needs.”