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catastrophic.” Of course, other factors play into the future of the cheese industry: “on 31st December of this year we have Brexit,” says Jason, “so no doubt things will get even harder.” The crisis has taught valuable lessons, however. “We’ve learned not to put all of our eggs in one basket; to diversify our routes to market. As a result of having to create newways to get products to consumers we’re going into a potential lockdown on a steadier footing than we had going into the first.” turnaround,” says Nikki at Harvey & Brockless. “It will take some time beyond that for all of our businesses to fully recover from the recessionary impact of the lockdown, and this is without knowing when or if there will be a second wave and how big it will be.” “The optimism that we had at the start of the year is no longer there,” says Jason Hinds of Neals Yard Dairy. “We’re looking at a situation that businesses haven’t seen since the 1950s. There are many touchpoints between now and the invaluable Christmas period which are going to be difficult but important to overcome. Consumer confidence and spending power are reduced, and although lockdown has been eased at this moment in time we are approaching the end of the beginning rather than the beginning of the end. A second wave, and another lockdown, later in the year would be @specialityfood 28 THE DISTRIBUTOR OUTLOOK With many wholesalers pivoting their focus, today’s outlook is very different to the one that was planned for A s a portion of the cheese industry which supplies retail and foodservice alike, distributors and wholesalers are integral to the smooth running of the sector. After a successful festive period for many, the Covid- 19 pandemic hit hard and, similarly to across the industry, pivots were needed in order to ensure survival. “In 24 hours the landscape changed,” explains Sunit Mehta of Rowcliffe. The wholesaler “pulled out all the stops” to support its key independent retailer customer base, and its agility allowed the team to adapt to the changes in the marketplace. It is taking each day as it comes: “every day is a challenge. We make sure we are match ready and do not allow ourselves to second guess anything; we cannot rest on our laurels for the foreseeable future.” Evolving business models For businesses for whom independent retail is a relatively small portion of their business proposition, the impact of Covid was even more keenly felt. “Our business changed overnight with 90% of our business coming to an abrupt stop,” explains Nikki Philp, purchasing director at Harvey & Brockless. “Even though we cover a diverse list of customers from all sectors, every one of our customers has been adversely affected by the crisis and many remain closed.” As well as reducing overheads and maximising incoming funds, like other businesses, Harvey & Brockless acted quickly to offer a brand new straight-to-consumer format through its Battersea warehouse which is open seven days a week, as well as an e-commerce option selling the business’s most popular products. “We have gone from doing 2-3 orders a day pre-Covid, to approximately 200 a day during the lockdown,” says Nikki. “We have also reduced delivery days and vehicles, and have implemented further efficiencies in terms of the manufacturing/production side of the business,” she continues, “restricting production days to minimise the cost implications and maximise safety measures that need to be in place as a result of Covid.” Catering to new demand Stuart Grant, managing director at Curd & Cure, has seen his business’s services called upon in a new way over the past fewmonths in order to cater to the increased demand for pre-packed, retail-ready products. As well as diversifying the Curd & Cure range to include a greater range of products in this format, the business has been offering cutting services to the wide community of artisan dairies and cheesemakers, many of whom do not have facilities to cut in-house, in doing so “providing a link from producer to retailer at a time when it is essential that British cheese is reaching shelves throughout the country.” This service has also allowed many makers who are new to retail to test the market – a valuable opportunity during this challenging time. What’s next? “Going forward, the biggest challenge is likely to be tracking and responding to buying habits as they change,” says Curd & Cure’s Stuart. “For the time being, retail-ready cheese is our top seller, but as more retailers re-open it will be interesting to see if this trend continues, or if consumers will prefer to go back to a deli-style setting, with a personal, face to face service where the requirement is for larger cuts of cheese.” “In terms of the market, we predict it will be the latter part of next year before we can start to see a positive “ 90% OF A OUR BUSINESS CAME TO AN ABRUPT STOP ” NIKKI PHILP, HARVEY & BROCKLESS As well as reducing our carbon footprint, by supporting and nurturing a conscientious ‘home grown’ industry we ensure that whatever the circumstances, excellent quality speciality food is always readily available on our doorsteps NIKKI PHILP, HARVEY & BROCKLESS On the back of the campaign to support British cheesemakers, there has certainly been an uplift in the number of retailers and consumers looking to buy fromsmaller scale producers, whichhas seen us add further listings for British cheesemakers in our newly launched brochure STUART GRANT, CURD & CURE Every day is a challenge.We make surewe are match ready and do not allowourselves to second guess anything; we cannot rest on our laurels for the foreseeable future SUNIT MEHTA, ROWCLIFFE SUNIT MEHTA ROWCLIFFE STUART GRANT CURD & CURE NIKKI PHILP HARVEY & BROCKLESS JASON HINDS NEALS YARD DAIRY COMMENTATORS