Speciality Food Inspirational Cheese Retailers 2025

specialityfoodmagazine.com 43 Revisited WEWANT OUR CUSTOMERS TO HAVE A DELIGHTFUL EXPERIENCE AS THEY SAVOUR CHEESES AT THEIR PEAK Suffolk’s foodie capital, Bury St Edmunds, wasmissing an essential piece of its edible puzzle until Francisco and Sabina Perello opened the doors to The Cheese Hole in 2022. The shop cuts a fine figure in an area renowned for independent retailing, sitting in a trianglewith a quirky wine store and an award-winning bakery – giving shoppers a trio of reasons to visit. The Cheese Hole has, in a very short space of time, become renowned for excellent customer service, driven by Francisco and Sabina’s endless enthusiasm for artisan makers, and exuberant approach to sales - they have the ability to draw customers in with their immersive, thoughtful, educational tastings. Notwithstanding the challenging economic times of the last year, they say the business continues tomove in a positive direction. Their range of cheeses and accompaniments has grown. “And our customers, both regulars and new, appreciate the diversity on offer. It’s also been a year withmany newproducers and cheeses coming out, which is a delight for all.” Francisco says they’ve consolidated their offering in the past 12months and are pleased to have been in demand for wedding The CheeseHole and special occasion cheese towers and large cheese selections for both corporate and family events – something he thinks is “very exciting”. Staffing challenges have, he concedes, limited their ability to run events, but they’re hoping to bring these into the fold as time progresses. Something, Sabina thinks, that resonates with customers (apart fromservice) is the care and attention she and Francisco put into sourcing, which includes ensuring the shop always has products for thosewho are lactose, cow’smilk, or gluten intolerant. This is especially true of their ambient goods, with Francisco revealing they stock one of the biggest collections of gluten-free products in the town. It’s a sign they’ve listened to their fanbase, leaning intowhat they want and need. ‘Real food’ without any unnecessary additives, is important to both themand their visitors too. “Customers want to be informed about what they are eating these days, andwe very much enjoy helping them to feel connected to the cheese and its origins,” Francisco says. “Wewant our customers to have a delightful experience as they savour cheeses at their peak.” “Listening to your customers! Everybody knows what they want, even if they don’t knowwhat they want. Asking the right questions and listening carefully will always let you zoom in on the cheeses that they may not even know they like just from understanding their preferences on textures, strength and milk sources. It’s also a question of having a selection of cheese that cuts across these factors, even more so than just their geographical origin or types.” WHAT MAKES A GREAT CHEESEMONGER?