Meet ICR 2023’s educator: The Cheese Locker

For fine food businesses across the UK – from retailers to producers, distributors and everything in between – customer service is king. It’s a well-known and proven philosophy that the greater the level of customer service you provide, the higher the number of return custom and satisfied customers. For Alex Hunt, owner of Staffordshire’s The Cheese Locker, this well-worn adage has proven true.

In 2021, during his degree, Alex decided to open The Cheese Locker as an “exciting venture” to further his own skills. As the founder and sole employee of the business, he is supported by his family in his mission to educate his local community about the very best cheeses from nearby cheesemakers and beyond.

“I believe my customer service is what helps me stand out as I provide an informative service about the cheese I supply,” Alex begins. Vitally, he recognises that this is not a process that can be rushed.

“I am willing to put the time in to accommodate the needs of my customers,” he explains, “and to serve the community and provide the products which they struggle to find anywhere else.”

Providing this service – recognised by his loyal customer base as being of an impressively high level – has no doubt been a challenge for Alex, especially considering the fact that he was both successfully running the business and completing his degree (which he finished in summer 2022) for the first 10 months since its conception.

In classic Inspirational Cheese Retailers style – a facet to the business which has earned him nominations to be in this edition of the publication – he is passionate about introducing his customer base to a wide range of cheeses, and in doing so creating an “exciting and adventurous atmosphere.”

Find out what’s in store for Alex and his team at The Cheese Locker in 2023 by downloading your free copy of Inspirational Cheese Retailers today!