During the 1930s, Gorgonzola cheese production reached its peak with 27,000 tons, over total cheese production in Italy of approximately 200,000 tons. It was 13.5% of the entire cheese production in Italy. During the same period, more than 60%, i.e. 16,200 tons, was already exported abroad.
Gorgonzola cheese was more and more requested in the UK and France, as well as in the Restaurant of the House of Commons in London, and – as newspapers reported in those days – it was far more popular than other cheeses.
Italians, whose number was smaller than today, used to consume about 370 grams each.
Approximately 30% (16,000 tons) is exported. Germany and France are the main consumer countries, absorbing more than 50% of overall export. Switzerland, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Scandinavian countries, and Spain follow in Europe; then, the USA and Canada. Significant signals also come from the Far East and Australia: Japan and China are the countries where Italian cheeses are most successful. In particular, Gorgonzola cheese consumption has grown from a few dozen tons imported until the 1990s to over 400 tons recently.
Gorgonzola cheese also is one of the most exported cow-milk cheeses from Italy.