Christmas is a significant occasion for cheese, and independent fine food retailers can capitalize on this by offering more than just traditional Stilton and crackers. According to Jessica Summer, founder and owner of Mouse & Grape, the key to success lies in providing personal guidance to customers, making the experience of creating a Christmas cheeseboard feel more approachable.
For independent retailers, the ability to curate a considered range of cheeses is a major advantage. Jessica recommends selecting a mix of milks, textures, and flavor profiles, including familiar favorites and more unusual cheeses that customers may not find in supermarkets. This approach helps to create a sense of variety and excitement without overwhelming shoppers.
Cheeseboards as an occasion
The opportunity for independent retailers lies in making the cheeseboard feel like an occasion rather than a collection of products. Tasting, sharing the stories behind the cheesemakers, and providing confident pairing advice can all help to create an experience in itself. Amanda Burningham, cheese brand lead at Emmi UK, emphasizes the importance of storytelling in the cheese category, highlighting that every cheese has a unique story to tell.
Amanda suggests that retailers can make these stories accessible by providing concise information on shelf cards, explaining where a cheese comes from, how it is matured, or what makes its flavor distinctive. This approach can give customers a reason to trade up without requiring staff to deliver lengthy explanations. The traditional three- or four-cheese board is also evolving, with the modern cheeseboard becoming more like a cheese grazing board, featuring a collection of hot and cold cheeses, dips, breads, and accompaniments.
This shift has important implications for Christmas stocking, as cheese can be used as part of drinks occasions, informal gatherings, and relaxed evenings over the festive period. Retailers can sell cheese alongside a range of products, including charcuterie, pickles, chutneys, crackers, breads, nuts, fruit, honey, and wine, creating a more interactive and varied shopping experience.
Curated cheeseboards and gifting
Jessica recommends that retailers think about the cheeseboard in terms of generosity and balance rather than sheer size. A carefully curated selection of four or five excellent cheeses can provide plenty of variety without overwhelming customers. Pre-ordering can also help both customers and retailers, with options for ready-curated cheeseboards at different sizes or price points, alongside more bespoke options.
Cheese also has considerable potential as a Christmas gift, particularly when packaging, presentation, and storytelling turn an individual product into something special. Heather Lewis of Clawson Farms notes that Christmas shoppers are looking for products that create a sense of occasion, and premium cheese can combine food, presentation, and discovery to make a thoughtful gift.
Heather’s truckles, for example, are designed to meet this need, with unusual flavor combinations, distinctive characters, and packaging. The idea of giving shoppers something familiar but of higher quality is particularly relevant at Christmas, as customers may know they want a particular type of cheese, but a more unusual flavor or presentation can make it feel like a gift rather than an everyday purchase. The key is to create a sense of specialness and occasion, which can be achieved through careful curation and presentation.
As the Christmas season approaches, retailers can create urgency with limited-edition cheeses and exclusive offerings, making their range distinctive and attractive to customers. By focusing on the stories behind the cheeses and providing a personalized experience, independent retailers can make the most of the festive season and establish themselves as a go-to destination for specialty cheese.
With the overall cheese category showing a 3.5% increase, according to NIQ data, and snacking cheese and specialty cheese ingredients seeing significant growth, the opportunities for creative and engaging cheese offerings are plentiful, and retailers who can adapt to changing consumer trends and preferences will be well-positioned to capitalize on this demand, with cheeses like Raclette, fondue, and baked cheese offering a range of interactive and entertaining options for customers.
Combining cheese with high-quality crackers or sourdough, then adding fruit, nuts, honey, and a carefully chosen chutney or jam can make the experience more enjoyable. At Christmas, dried figs, dates, or a few chocolates can make the board feel particularly special.
Jessica Summer suggests that the most effective upselling should feel like useful advice rather than a sales pitch. Once you understand the cheeses a customer has chosen, you can recommend one or two accompaniments that genuinely complement them, whether that’s a particular cracker, truffle honey, chutney, or something sweet for a blue cheese.
Cross-selling and drinks pairing
The same approach can extend into drinks. There isn’t one wine that will pair perfectly with every cheese, but sparkling wine is a brilliant all-rounder because its acidity and bubbles cut through richer flavors. Sherry is often overlooked, while Sauternes, Tokaji, or a sweet Moscato can be wonderful with blue cheese. By offering these pairing suggestions, retailers can help customers create a more enjoyable and interactive cheese experience.
Dylan Fourie, deli manager at Macknade, sources cheeses from a network of suppliers and producers to obtain exclusivity for his customers. This approach creates differentiation that cannot easily be replicated by a supermarket, making the store a destination for unique and exciting cheese offerings. With careful planning and attention to detail, independent retailers can capitalize on the demand for specialty cheese and create a memorable shopping experience for their customers.
