Mexico cheese market

Mexico is the third largest cheese market in the Americas and the sixth largest of the 48 markets in the database. Zenith puts consumption at more than 720,000 tonnes in 2025, or around 5 kg per person.

Mexico is one of the fastest-growing large cheese markets. Consumption grew by close to 6% a year between 2020 and 2025, and Zenith expects growth of around 4% a year to 2030, taking the market past 880,000 tonnes.

Fresh cheeses and Mexican styles such as Oaxaca and Chihuahua lead consumption. Imports, mainly from the USA, supply around a third of demand, making Mexico the fourth largest cheese importer in the database.

The Zenith Global Cheese Database 2026 covers Mexico with production, imports, exports and consumption for 39 cheese types, actuals from 2020 to 2025 and forecasts to 2030. Volume data covers totals, broad categories and separately measured cheese types, in tonnes. Consumer retail value covers total cheese only, in local currency and USD; import and export trade values cover HS 0406 total only, in USD. Monetary values are not broken down by individual cheese type or broad category. Retail shelf prices cover total cheese and five broad categories: hard and semi-hard, fresh, mould, processed, and other non-specified cheese, in local currency/kg and USD/kg, not individual prices for all 39 cheese types. Import and export unit prices cover HS 0406 total and available HS subheadings, in USD/kg. Retail value is estimated retail volume multiplied by regular shelf prices, including sales tax. Trade values are customs values, using CIF for imports and FOB for exports. Production is measured as formally manufactured cheese.