Cheese Retailers April 2024

specialityfoodmagazine.com 21 Exciting plans are afoot for The Little Cheese Shop over the next 12 months. Having offered a picnic basket service for visitors for a few years, Mark intends to grow the concept into an experience for visitors. “The idea is that you can order a picnic basket fromus, filled with plenty of good food and drinks, a blanket, glasses, cutlery and so on, and all that is needed to create amemorable experience on the Dingle Peninsula. When the customer is finished with is, they have the option to return the basket and its contents to the shop or return it to their accommodation.” Next in line is a one-of-a-kind experience run in collaboration with the world-famous Dick Mack’s pub in Ireland. “This iconic pub has been running since 1899 and in the past few years opened a brewhouse with a range of beers. The cheese and beer experience sees the guys from Dick Mack’s give a tour of the small brewhouse and tell their story, then we tell the story of Irish cheese and pair their beers with a selection of cheese in the tap house.” PLANS FOR 2024 learn about and enjoy great Irish cheese, that’s not to say that a one-size-fits- all approach is suitable. “Each of the above customer bases are different and we try our best to understand them to make sure we best suit their needs. For example, a local looking for cheese for a cheeseboard to share with their friends may get different cheese compared to an international visitor who is travelling and staying in a hotel or guest house and wants a small selection to travel with.” PICS: FIONA MORGAN EACH OF OUR CUSTOMER BASES ARE DIFFERENT AND WE TRY OUR BEST TO UNDERSTAND THEM TO MAKE SUREWE BEST SUIT THEIR NEEDS will change on a weekly basis. It also allows us to work with the cheesemakers and source their best products, and know as much as possible about them and what makes their cheese so special.” Spreading the love As well as having a small shop in Dingle – frequented by local residents, business owners and tourists –Mark is able to send cheese throughout Ireland via his website. “This has proved to be a good extra revenue stream,” he explains. “I am fortunate to have built up an online customer base consisting of regulars and new customers, but unfortunately it is only on the island of Ireland due to logistics and customs.” He has also launched an online monthly cheese subscription, where members receive a box of four cheeses, crackers and a chutney, plus notes about the cheeses and their makers on the last week of everymonth. While every customer shopping with The Little Cheese shop is keen to