Made in Russia (clip)

In 2014, the EU and the US imposed sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Crimea and the conflict in Ukraine. In retaliation, Russia banned all imports from the EU and the US, which had a direct impact on cheese imports into Russia. This forced Russian consumers to seek alternatives locally, boosting domestic cheese production. This trend appears to continue with the ongoing war in Ukraine which contributed to the extension of sanctions. Local Russian cheese producers see the situation as a good opportunity to improve the quality and volume of their production and thus develop a renowned domestic artisanal cheese industry, which would allow them to catch up with other countries famous for their cheeses.

Foodie culture is obsessed
with authenticity.

But when we get Moroccan honey,

San Marzano tomatoes,

that means shipping food,

carbon emissions,

plenty of waste,

and excess packaging

for food that, sometimes,
not even as fresh or as delicious.

Adding COVID-19,
and you have a whole new problem:

frozen supply chains

or closed borders.

That's changing how we eat and
forcing us to also look at what's local.

Some countries, like Russia,
have a lot of experience with this.

MADE IN RUSSIA

(Alec) Jay Klouz has been
a nightclub promoter in Spain,

a tour boat owner in France,

and a celebrity chef in Australia.

Now the American lives in Russia

where he's added cheesemaker to the list.

(Klouz) Every person has a different hand,

and this hand makes cheese.

You could be more aggressive,

and you'll have another cheese.

You could be more careful,

and you'll have another cheese.

You can even be half a degree higher,

and you'll have another cheese.

(Alec) Klouz uses local ingredients
to make European favorites

like feta, Gouda, and ricotta.

Flavors that began to make their way here
after the fall of the Soviet Union.

(Alec) So, I grew up in Wisconsin,

and we've always had cheddar,
pepper jack, all sorts of--

you know, real sharp cheeses.

Love this stuff.

And then I came to Russia,

and it was like, cheese was white
and didn't taste like anything.

Tastes like plastic.

What made you decide to start
making your own cheese?

You know, one thing you learn in Russia,
the winters are rough.

The Russians prepare for winter

so, being prepared means,
also eating good stuff.

(Alec) For years, Russia imported
as much cheese as it produced

until 2014.

Russia annexed Crimea.

The US and the EU
slap sanctions on Russia,

and President Putin responded by
banning food imports from those countries.

Cheesemakers like Klouz
saw sales go way up.

Russian production
increased by at least 50%.

(Klouz) Please don't forget
to return my spoon.

(Sofia) Yes, return the spoon. Thanks.

After Russia stopped purchasing
cheeses abroad,

the cheese market changed a lot.

So we started buying here.

We are very satisfied
with the price and quality.

(Alec) And how have the current sanctions
changed the industry?

(Klouz) With the sanctions there's
more interest in the people making cheese.

Like, "Oh, we don't need you,
we have Jay."

I'm like, "Yeah, right."

Fifty kilos a day,
how am I going to feed Russians?

"Jay will save us!"

I'm like, what?
(laughter)

People are funny here.

(Alec) But some people are more confident
in local producers' ability

to fill the giant cheesy hole
left by the counter sanctions.

Klrill Sharshukov imported Italian cheese

until the food embargo forced him
to start making his own.

(Sharshuko) Here we have
caciocavallo cheese.

A classic Italian caciocavallo cheese.

It is fermented for about 6 to 12 months

and has a specific, light taste.

And here we added fenugreek seeds.

Tastes like cheese with with walnut,

kind of a sweet dessert-y crunch.

It doesn't have nuts?

No, no. This doesn't have any nuts,
but is has that flavor.

I don't know if this is allowed on TV,

but these seeds are
healthy for men, apparently.

So this is delicious and healthy for me?
(laughter)

(Alec) After the embargo,

the government started giving
out subsidies and tax breaks

to boost domestic production.

Something Sharshuko believes

is giving Russians a chance to catch up
to the world's cheesemakers.

(Sharshuko) The longer this goes on,
the more experiences we have.

We reproduce Italy's cheeses here,

replace its classic cheeses,
and produce them.

So it would be very difficult to return.

(Alec) But the Russian cheese revolution
isn't for everybody.

Imported foods were always
too expensive for most Russians.

Meaning locally-made burrata will probably
never be on their shopping list.

And economists are skeptical

that the people
who could afford fancy cheese

are going to see local versions

as anything other than
a secondary substitute.

When we imported cheese, it had quality.

We, the small portion of affluent people,
got used to it.

When that cheese disappeared,

those people stopped buying
Russian copies of cheese

because they don't trust the quality.

Well, I hear from the cheese producers--

Russian cheese producers--

who say sanctions have been a huge help.

Those you spoke to are very few
because, as a matter of fact,

90% of the Russian cheese market

is mass market cheeses.

I wanted to ask what will happen

to Russian cheesemakers
if sanctions are lifted tomorrow?

There will be
competition again for 15 to 20%

of wealthy people in Russia.

People who have invested
in cheese production

will be hit hard.

(Alec) The drive for food Independence
has protected Russia

from supply disruptions during
the pandemic, the government says.

It's also helped a fledgling,
farm-to-table movement here.

- Five more minutes.
- No, two and a half.

(Alec) Ivan and Sergey Berezutskly have
their own farm to produce ingredients

for their restaurant,

which in 2019 was named
one of the best in the world.

It's a simple dish: potato with caviar.

Here you are.

The majority of our guests
need healthy and fresh food.

This is a development Russia
and other countries have come to.

The sanctions have
accelerated the process.