Cheese Retailers April 2024

specialityfoodmagazine.com 35 “We have won several awards for best farm shop in Surrey, which is brilliant for our hard-working farm shop team,” says Mel. “Plus, we very rarely get Google reviews that are less than five stars.” AWARD- WINNING SERVICE meat and cheese, as well as dairy, fresh produce –much grown here on our farm – and gourmet food ingredients.” No wonder it has a varied yet loyal following. “Our customer base is made up of different demographics. We have customers who have been with us since we opened, new arrivals to the community fromLondon and other larger cities, plus day trippers.” Building relationships with existing customers while attracting new ones, while simultaneously evolving the shop’s offering, has proven to be a recipe for success. “We know our customers really well andmeet new-to-the-farm-shop visitors all the time. Plus, we constantly innovate with new products and always respond to customer requests whenever possible,” says Mel. Evolving the service Having Surrey’s largest and best-stocked cheese counter – “with a fantastic range of British and imported cheeses”– is worthy of applause, that’s not to say that running it has been stress-free. Of course, Covid-19 impacted the Secretts FarmShop team as it didmany other independents, but by thinking outside the box the teamwas able to evolve their offering to suit the demands at hand. “During the pandemic we started cutting and wrapping our cheeses to reduce queues and keep customers apart. This was really popular, and we have continued to do this long since the pandemic restrictions ended.” The future for Secrett’s winning cheese counter looks bright. “Our plans include increasing our range of cheeses and deli foods andmaking sure our customers love our product ranges,” says Mel. “We are always on the look-out for new cheeses especially if they are made in the South East.” OUR CUSTOMER BASE ISMADE UP OF DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHICS. WE HAVE CUSTOMERSWHO HAVE BEENWITH US SINCEWE OPENED, NEWARRIVALS TO THE COMMUNITY FROM LONDON AND OTHER LARGER CITIES, PLUS DAY TRIPPERS