The true value of a strong USP: a specialist cheesemonger’s view

Walk into almost any deli or farm shop in the UK and you’ll hear the same concerns repeated quietly between the shelves: margins are tighter, customer habits are shifting, costs keep climbing and competition feels endless. In moments like this, it can be tempting to widen your offering, chase every trend, or try to become all things to all people.

But in my experience, the businesses that truly stand out in speciality food are often the ones brave enough to do the opposite! At Indie Füde, Johnny and I built our business around one very clear decision. We would champion Irish artisan food producers. Exclusively. No imported cheeses sitting beside local ones “just in case.” Just a deep commitment to telling the story of Irish food and the people behind it. Two people on a mission to show the value of supporting local.

Over the years some people probably thought that was limiting. Especially 10 years ago when ‘shopping local’ wasn’t as on trend as it is today. And in some ways, it is. Having a strong USP means saying no far more often than you say yes, especially at the beginning when no one really understands what your business is about. But what I’ve learned over the last decade is that the right restrictions can actually create enormous opportunity. For us, that has meant doors opening that simply wouldn’t have existed otherwise - all because we’ve consistently flown the flag for Irish produce. A clear USP gives people a reason to remember you.

Clarity matters

Customers don’t necessarily remember every product they bought, but they do remember how a place made them feel. They remember what it stood for. If your business has a strong identity and genuine passion behind it, people connect with that emotionally.

For us, focusing on Irish food has allowed us to become more than just a shop - and given us real direction. It’s shaped our events, our tours, our gift hampers, our online content, our relationships with producers and even the community that has formed around us.

Customers know what they’re coming to us for. Producers know what we value. That consistency builds trust over time. And, perhaps most importantly, it creates valuable expertise. When you narrow your focus, you naturally deepen your knowledge. Instead of trying to know a little about everything, you begin to understand your niche inside out. That confidence translates directly to customers. Whether it’s recommending a raw milk goat’s cheese from County Clare (St Tola, for those interested!), explaining the seasonality of a local product or introducing someone to a producer they’ve never heard of before, that depth of knowledge becomes part of the experience people are paying for.

I believe that knowledge is especially important in speciality food because people increasingly want connection alongside quality. They want stories. They want transparency. They want to know where things come from and why they matter. They want to feel like their decisions are informed, and their money is being spent in a considered manner. A USP rooted in genuine passion helps deliver that naturally!

A strong ethos can keep a business resilient

Of course, the key word there is genuine. Customers can spot manufactured branding a mile away. A USP isn’t just a marketing slogan or a trendy aesthetic. It has to actually mean something to you. It should shape decision-making behind the scenes, not just appear on social media captions.

Over the years we have seen other companies try and replicate our USP and fail. Because – surprise, surprise – having a USP isn’t the key to guaranteed success, or the ticket to your fortune. There’s much more to running a successful business than that. But the passion behind a business with a genuine USP that defines their ethos is often what keeps businesses resilient during harder periods. Be that financially or otherwise.

Running an independent food business can be exhausting. There are far easier industries to be in. But having a strong sense of purpose gives you something steady to return to when things feel chaotic. It reminds you why you started in the first place.

I know that for me personally, when I consciously return to our reason for existing - our mission to support and showcase our local producers – I can give myself a well-needed reset. A trip to visit a local farmer, a couple of Instagram messages to a producer I now call a friend, a short phone call with our local food officer in Ards and North Down Borough Council – and I’m reminded that we really are all in this together. Ironically, narrowing our focus expanded our world. And perhaps that’s the real power of a strong USP. It doesn’t box you in. It gives you direction.