Cheese Buyer - May 2025

my view of the sector, which I’m very much enjoying – especially as a result of Tuesdays AKA NPD days!” A carefully curated range Anthony’s support of artisan producers has been the lifeblood of Rowcliffe’s since the very beginning, and while the team is proud to say that through the years the business has benefitted the wider fine cheese sector and the passionate craftspeople at its heart, their vision 6 @specialityfood Tony Bury, who took the helm of Rowcliffe in 2024, “and the team and I are excited to breathe new life into the business so it reaches its full potential.” With a professional history rich in larger scale dairy experience, Tony is inspired by the expertise of the Rowcliffe team as well as the skills and craftsmanship present within the artisan cheese sphere. “I’ve worked in the cheese industry for years, but it’s been eye-opening to discover the cheeses that are out there,” he says. “They’re changing has extended far beyond cheese into the best possible products to serve alongside it. The professionals behind Rowcliffe certainly have grand plans, with 130 new products – including some exclusives – launching into the latest catalogue. The overall range (which historically has sat at over 1,000 products) has evolved to present only the very best to its customers, so that fine food retailers can be confident that each item in Rowcliffe’s offering has been expertly hand-selected as the finest of its type. Rowcliffe Larder – a carefully curated selection of charcuterie, olives and other products that complement their cheese offering – is set to enter the sector later this year, and the business’s acquisition of Hawkridge Farmhouse Dairy F or decades, Rowcliffe has sat at the heart of the fine cheese industry, earning itself a reputation as one of the foremost providers of fine cheese and high quality foods to discerning retailers up and down the UK. Since its inception in 1967, when Anthony Rowcliffe scoured French markets to uncover the finest cheeses from small producers, the business has been passionate about sharing the very best cheeses from small-scale makers across Britain and Europe – and now, in 2025, the business is entering an exciting new era full of updates sure to excite the palates of fine food lovers across the UK. Now part of The Lactalis Group, Rowcliffe retains its crown as Britain’s leading importer and distributor of exceptional cheese and other fine foods; and after a period of transition is excited to share two new developments that will offer fine food retailers with a more delicious range than ever. “For many years Rowcliffe has been a sleeping giant,” says BACKWITHA BANG Rowcliffe’s entering an exciting new era packed with new launches, innovative approaches and game-changing investment