In a time when Romanians are paying more and more attention to what they eat and to their health, sales of butter have gone up 27% in the past two years (2013-2015) and Euromonitor estimates 2015 to 2014 growth to be 11.3%.
Butter is only one of the segments of the oil and fats market put at RON2.3 billion a year. The overall market is up just 1% on 2014, with the only segments to have seen growth being butter and olive oil. On the other hand, margarine and sunflower oil sales were down. Sunflower oil contributes 60% to the market, so sales thereof influence the entire market.
Butter market leaders are dairy producers such as Albalact, FrieslandCampina, Lactalis and Covalact. They are not among the overall top three, because butter only accounts for 15% of the total oil and fats market. Butter is the second most important segment of the market after vegetable oil, though.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)