“We are still bursting with cheese-inspired ideas”

The last two years have been a whirlwind for us here at Slate – establishing the business, getting stuck into cheese retail with the opening of two shops in Suffolk, and launching our website so that customers can have cheese delivered direct to their door throughout mainland Britain. Perhaps 2020 is a moment for a deep breath? Unlikely as we are still bursting with cheese-inspired ideas and ambition to drive the business forward!

With our shops situated in two seaside towns we are keen to see consumer confidence lifted, restoring high streets such as ours in Aldeburgh and Southwold to the heart of vibrant communities with thriving independent businesses and collaborations. This year we have seen increasing consumer interest in the provenance of the cheese we sell, with a tendency towards smaller quantities of higher quality produce. It is hugely important for us as a team to learn more about the farms and dairies that produce the delicious artisan cheese in our Slate ‘wall of cheese’. During the coming year we will seek opportunities to visit farms and cheesemakers so that we can bring these cheeses alive when talking about them with our customers. We will also continue our work with other local businesses to develop new and exciting cheese-pairing collaborations. This is an area in which we can offer real added value to our customers, helping them to step beyond the traditional cheese and cracker combination to enjoy artisan cheese to its fullest.

With great anticipation we look forward to the new cheeses we will taste and discover during 2020, and we will continue to source new products of outstanding quality to excite our customers’ taste buds. Mindful of the climate change emergency we will promote local products, particularly those where steps are being taken to increase sustainability in the production process. On farm visits this year we’ve seen innovative energy solutions, from wind turbines to bio-digestors, solar panels and even cow-source heating! Our influence is limited, but supporting artisan producers who incorporate this technology at the heart of their farms and cheesemaking is extremely important to us here at Slate.

Whilst remaining vigilant to offering premium quality and good shelf life, we can also aim to consolidate incoming deliveries to Slate as our location makes us highly dependent on road transport. In our shops we will seek to build on the steps we have taken to reduce waste, minimise packaging and manage our power consumption. Many of the ‘easy’ swaps have now been made and we are focusing on behavioural change in our team and amongst customers. An example of this is a tiny tweak to the frequently asked question: ‘Would you like a bag?’ – instead enquiring, ‘Do you need a bag?’ Initially this feels against the grain of high quality customer service, but it challenges
each customer to think rather than take the easy option.