Going beyond expectations to meet curiosity and enable discovery

For independent fine food retailers, cheese is an opportunity to offer customers something they cannot find everywhere else. But an exciting range does not necessarily mean filling the counter with obscure cheeses. It is about curiosity, discovery and giving familiar products an unexpected twist.

“Customers are always looking for something new in the world of cheese,” says Nick Birchall of The Cheese Shop, Nantwich. “If it’s a Cheddar, say, then look for an option that is matured in hay or herbage… just that little different touch really attracts customer attention and tantalises their taste buds.”

Svetlana Kukharchuk, The Cheese Lady, agrees that the familiar can provide an effective route into discovery. “Customers often respond well to cheeses that sit within familiar styles, such as Cheddar, Alpine or Gouda, but offer an unexpected twist.”

For Svetlana, unusual cheeses are central to the independent cheesemonger’s role. “Customers can find standard cheeses almost anywhere, so our role is to introduce them to something genuinely distinctive.”

Make discovery approachable

The key is not to make customers feel that they need specialist knowledge before they can explore. Sampling, staff recommendations and simple explanations can turn an unfamiliar cheese into an appealing proposition.

“Discovering a new cheese should feel exciting, not intimidating,” says Svetlana. “Our job is to make exceptional cheese approachable and help people find something they will genuinely love.”

Emmanuelle Metz of Metz Cheesemonger takes a similar approach. She argues that specialist retailers have a role in expanding customers’ horizons rather than simply selling what they already know. “It’s just a matter of enlarging people’s knowledge,” she says.

Even the customer who insists they are ‘boring’ because they only like Cheddar can be encouraged to explore: “It’s not boring – you can go further than your usual choice.”

That sense of discovery can also be a reason for customers to return. “It’s a question of how to make yourself different from the others,” Emmanuelle says. “It’s not a matter of competition, but a matter of keeping your customers excited or even attracting new customers.”

Give the counter a personality

An exciting range should feel curated rather than random. Emmanuel believes that a counter should reflect the personality of the person behind it, as well as the season, location and wider offer.

“If you bring something new into the shop or counter, it needs to make sense with the rest of the shop. Otherwise, you’re just one more shop, and anonymous.”

That might mean highlighting a particular cheese for the season, creating an unusual pairing or working with a producer on something distinctive. “It’s just bringing magic to people.”

Nick also takes a proactive approach, with his business contacting cheesemakers “around the country and in fact the world” to discover new products and even suggesting alternative ways of maturing cheese.

Evolve your list of relationships

Sourcing genuinely different products can be difficult. Wholesalers may require larger volumes than a small retailer wants to commit to, while imported cheeses can face delays and availability problems.

That makes producer relationships increasingly valuable. Emmanuelle looks for cheesemakers who are prepared to experiment and collaborate, while Svetlana stresses the importance of relationships, research and tasting, while acknowledging the commercial realities.

“It is easy to fall in love with a very niche cheese, but we also have to consider its price, shelf life and potential demand.”

Keep evolving

Ultimately, an exciting cheese counter is a moving target. Retailers need to taste, listen, experiment and adapt while balancing discovery with cheeses their customers already understand.

For Emmanuelle, that willingness to keep changing is essential. “We’ve got to keep listening to people. We have to keep like bringing them joy.” Perhaps the most useful reminder for any retailer is her reminder that “one customer’s unusual is sometimes the usual for others”.

What matters is finding the cheeses, stories and experiences that make your own counter worth exploring.

Modern cheese curation

For a truly unique experience, follow your passions as a cheesemonger.

For Svetlana, unusual cheeses are at the heart of what makes an independent cheesemonger special. “Customers can find standard cheeses almost anywhere, so our role is to introduce them to something genuinely distinctive: a small-batch cheese, an extra-mature version of a well-known cheese, a different milk, or simply a flavour they have never experienced before.”

Providing customers with ‘unusual’ products boils down to asking them to change their habits, says Emmanuelle. “Sticking to our personal habits is part of human nature, but I’m not here to please people so I prefer to avoid the obvious choices.”

If a customer makes a request for a cheese that doesn’t excite Emmanuelle, she doesn’t bring it into her range to “please them.” This maintains the authentic personality of her counter.

Importing some cheeses is easier said than done in 2026, so Nick looks to the domestic sector to feed excitement into his shop.

“The challenges of course are ever present,” says Nick, “especially at the moment when importation from some European countries is so hard, but here in the United Kingdom we have some excellent cheesemakers producing some world class cheeses and I’m always keen to promote British cheese and perhaps options with a new twist or identity.”