Heather Gillies, I.J. Mellis: “A broad mission”

Foundationally, every cheese retailer operates with one singular goal: to sell cheese. This is a cheesemonger’s role in three words or less, but in due course, every cheesemonger finds that they are so much more than that.

More than just a salesperson, they play the role of storyteller, bridge-builder and matchmaker. Occasionally, a cheesemonger is a teacher, problem-solver, or even a therapist. The key to transforming a business from one that simply sells cheese, to a successful cheesemonger, is a well-developed and integrated mission.

A well-developed mission is what drives the staff and their work every single day. An integrated mission involves the other key players in cheese retail – the customer and the cheesemaker. Every cheese retailer should be asking themselves: how do we remain mission-focused and not get lost in the day-to-day routine of simply selling cheese?

Our mission is to champion artisan and farmhouse cheese with high-quality service. The bones of this mission likely resonate with many cheese retailers. Every company chooses to uphold their mission with different methods, but there are a few practices that are key to ensuring that the mission remains the cornerstone of a business.

To champion high-quality cheese, sharing knowledge and information between cheesemaker, cheesemonger and customer is critical. The very foundation of sharing knowledge in cheese retail is training and inspiring staff.

This comes from shadowing experienced ‘mongers, to meeting with producers to understand the realities of cheesemaking and the stories behind the craft. From there, it is the duty of the cheesemonger to share their knowledge with the customer.

Something as simple as providing a customer with a taste of the cheese – straight off the block – makes an incredible impact on both cheesemonger and customer. There is a sense of accomplishment in finding the right cheese for someone, but this is just the start of the “quality service” piece of mission-driven work.

If we’re lucky, hundreds of customers will pass through the shop every day to engage in these brief interactions, but for that customer we’re a more significant part of their day. Quality service is more than a polite interaction, it’s an understanding that our mission does not exist without the customer.

When we build sincere relationships with customers, we create an environment where every customer feels like they are entering their own home. In turn, friendly customers generate happy staff, and this cycle of community-building further reinforces the mission.

If cheesemongers can connect and share knowledge with just a few minutes across the bench, imagine what we can accomplish with an hour at a cheese tasting event. More than just a fun evening with cheese, a cheese tasting event can break down barriers between retailers and customers, inviting opportunities to discuss everything from cheese shelf life and natural rinds to questions like, “why does my Cheddar have a blue vein in it?”

Once you’ve built relationships and instilled passion for product in your staff and customers, the final piece is selling a quality product. Understanding where your cheese comes from and buying into the quality of the product will reflect on your staff and eventually your customer base.

Establish an ongoing relationship with your cheesemakers through regular visits to their dairy, not just to see how cheese is made, but to build a genuine relationship where the cheesemaker can also be invested in the mission.

When cheese retailers invest in quality products, the mission broadens beyond the shop to impact the industry. These are a few ideas that – at the very least – make us better at our jobs. At most, these tools help us foster relationships and create trust and understanding between retailer, cheesemaker and customer, ultimately reinforcing our mission as cheese retailers to champion cheese with the highest quality of service.