6 latest stories from the cheese sector

We take a look at six of the key developments from the cheese industry.

1. Chili-laced Cheddar joins Godminster’s prepack range

Somerset cheesemaker Godminster has extended its award-winning pre-packed Hunkey Punk range to include a 200g flow-wrapped format of Red Chili Devil’s Dance.

The cheese is a combination of Mighty Middlewick Witch Mature Cheddar and the chili hot sauce recipe of the owner and founder of the business, Richard Hollinbery. The Cheddar is matured for up to six months for a rich and creamy profile before being combined with the spice blend for a gentle lingering heat.

The launch joins Godminster’s Hunkey Punk range of individually wrapped speciality cheeses which satisfy the increasing consumer demand for convenient formats
and premium options. The range also includes Scarlet Crumb Sunrise Red Leicester and Mighty Middlewick Witch Mature Cheddar.

Jessica Kimber-Holloway, commercial and operations director at Godminster, said: “We’ve had such a fantastic response to the Hunkey Punk range since launch, so introducing our Red Chili Devil’s Dance in the same format was a natural next step. It completes the range and gives our retail partners another cheese prepack that offers something different, combining premium quality with a warming chili flavour that continues to perform well with consumers.”

2. Versatility feeds growth of world cheeses

The global cheese market is forecast to hold a value of $328.71 bn in 2034, up from $208.66 bn in 2026, according to Fortune Business Insights, with Mozzarella holding the largest individual cheese segment as consumers seek out cheeses that can be used in pizzas, pasta and sandwiches.

Cheeses that are suitable for use in Italian and Mexican dishes are also forecast to experience growth, as are speciality cheeses which have short ingredients lists and artisan production methods.

3. Feta PDO prices set to rise

Greece’s outbreak of sheep and goat pox could led to the country’s Feta production being reduced by 11% in 2026 [Npi Fund].

Prices of the cheese have already risen by around 33% on last year’s figures, while prices of sheep’s milk have seen an increase of over 10%.

4. DalterFood Group introduces new-format Parmigiano Reggiano shavings

Combining the authenticity of Parmigiano Reggiano PDO with the versatility of Spinoro, a 100% Italian hard cheese also suitable for vegetarians, this format is designed for summer fresh dishes.

DalterFood Group—a company with over 45 years of experience in the national and international dairy sector—offers its Parmigiano Reggiano shavings as a solution that combines raw material quality, ease of use and enhancement of the final product.

Made from Parmigiano Reggiano PDO produced in the Group’s dairies located in the Reggio Emilia Apennines, through a short and controlled supply chain, these shavings
are ideal for enhancing the flavour of light, fresh summer dishes such as ready-to-eat salads, pasta salads, and other seasonal ready meals. They are also an excellent accompaniment to carpaccio and packaged cured meats, and can add a premium touch to ready-made pizzas.

5. Starting Afresh by Neil Cunningham from The Big Cheese

Opening a cheese shop sounds like a romantic idea: find brilliant producers, fill a cheese gallery with beautiful cheeses, the shelves with complimentary provisions, and spend your days introducing people to something delicious. The reality is more commercial – but that doesn’t make it any less exciting.

Edinburgh presented an interesting opportunity. Despite being a city with a strong food culture and appetite for quality produce, it had been around 15 years since somebody had opened a new specialist cheese shop.

That made me ask, why? Perhaps the answer is simply that specialist retail isn’t easy. You need to give people a compelling reason to come through the door rather than buying cheese alongside their weekly supermarket shop.

For us, that means a range that gives customers something genuinely new to discover. We opened with more than 50 cheeses from Scotland, the wider UK and continental Europe, with around half unavailable in a specialist cheese shop in Edinburgh. Mia Cowie, our head cheesemonger, and I want to maintain that ethos: ideally, around 50% of what is in our cheese gallery should be cheese customers can’t find in another specialist cheese shop across the city.

Being a small independent gives us an advantage here. We don’t necessarily have the volume requirements or supply constraints of a larger specialist retailer. We can work with smaller producers, take smaller quantities and introduce cheeses that might otherwise struggle to find their way into the Edinburgh market. That flexibility keeps the cheese gallery interesting and gives customers a reason to keep returning.

The challenge now is balancing discovery with demand. We are already receiving a high volume of wholesale enquiries, which creates another opportunity, but we need to be selective about who we supply and ensure we can maintain availability and quality for our own customers.

The practical reality of opening is cash. Creating the right environment and brand requires investment before you sell a single piece of cheese. Then there is stock: as a new business, most suppliers require payment upfront until you establish a trading history leading to credit terms.

So, the biggest lesson is not that there are hidden pitfalls. It is that a strong idea needs adequate funding behind it. Get the location, proposition, range and finances right, and being small and independent can become your greatest strength.

6. The cheeses that I love, by Jen Grimstone-Jones from Cheese etc, the Pangbourne Cheese Shop

Blue Stilton,Colston Bassett

Colston Bassett is everything I want from a Blue Stilton. Rich and creamy, with that lovely balance of savoury, salty and blue flavours, but never so strong that it overwhelms you. It’s one of those cheeses I can go back to again and again—and far too good to save just for Christmas

Époisses AOP, Fromagerie Gaugry

There are cheeses you politely nibble, and then there’s Époisses. Sticky, pungent and gloriously unapologetic, its bark is actually far worse than its bite. Underneath that famously smelly rind is a beautifully soft, rich and surprisingly delicate cheese. It’s messy and it’s magnificent.

Montgomery’s Cheddar

If I could only eat one cheese for the rest of my life, it would be Montgomery’s Cheddar. Every time. I love its earthy, savoury flavour, that wonderful clothbound rind and the way every mouthful seems slightly different. Other cheeses suit particular moods. I am always in the mood for Montgomery’s.

Rollright, King Stone Dairy

Rollright is one of those cheeses I can never resist. It’s rich, buttery and wonderfully savoury, with flavours of warm milk, woodland mushrooms and just a little earthiness as it matures. There’s a gentle funkiness there too, but it never takes over. Comforting, delicious and dangerously easy to keep eating.

Sinodun Hill, Norton & Yarrow

I have a real soft spot for Sinodun Hill. It’s a beautiful little pyramid of goat’s cheese, but it’s the flavour that keeps me coming back: fresh, bright and citrusy when young, becoming softer, earthier and more complex as it matures. It’s also proof that a small cheese can have an enormous amount of personality.

Sheep Rustler, White Lake Cheese

Sheep Rustler is one of those cheeses I could happily keep nibbling long after I’d decided I’d had enough. It’s firm but not hard, with a lovely sweet, nutty, slightly caramel character from the sheep’s milk. Hugely approachable, but absolutely not boring — and a brilliant reminder of just how good British sheep’s cheese can be.