Chefs are also on the lookout for the most time-effective sourcing methods. Asmitha says to do this, they are looking to deal with a single or very few suppliers that have a comprehensive offering. "This means the variety of products that an individual supplier offers is important — especially as dairy products are ordered on almost a daily basis, based on hotel occupancy. Hence, having to order from a multitude of suppliers is very time consuming."

Camelicious, in its capacity as a catering supplier, finds its clients having similar demands. “Stand out from the crowd [and allow it to] offer something special and extraordinary. Another essential factor for orders is compliance with the caterers’ quality and hygiene policies and standards, which are usually quite high,” says Badry.

Is health taking precedence over indulgence in the dairy market?

The growing awareness of the health benefits of non-dairy alternatives has sparked a demand for such products.

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At Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa, Asmitha says many consumers are looking for such products and while the hotel has soya milk available, requests for alternatives like almond milk are on the rise.

“The biggest issue with the non-dairy alternatives is that there are many options, and people have a particular favourite, so it is difficult to have all available at the same time due to shelf life.”

Miller says the proprietary cheese blends at The Melting Pot use a microbial rennet in the cheese production.

“This allows for widespread acceptance amongst our guests the world over,” he says.

More broadly, dairy — linked to desserts, confectionery and ice cream — does have an underlying connotation of not being healthy.

But this doesn’t need to be the case, explains Chakra. Frozen yoghurt he says, contains ‘beneficial probiotic and prebiotic cultures’, which benefit the digestive and immune system, enhancing its appeal.

“We believe that healthy food and rich taste can go hand-in-hand — frozen yoghurt is a perfect example of this phenomenon. Hence, frozen yoghurt sales are booming as compared to ice cream, which is a market that is stagnating or growing slowly,” adds Chakra.

However consumers are unwilling to compromise on quality when it comes to desserts, no matter how healthy it promises to be.

An Elle & Vire spokesperson says the rise in French-style cafés and food outlets has jumped in the region in recent years, on the back of the appreciation French pastries have received.

“French pastry requires creams with good quality, and therefore chefs ask for high-performance creams in order to create delightful recipes,” said the spokesperson from Elle & Vire.