Consumers Are Embracing Specialty Cheeses This Summer
This summer, cheese consumers are fully out and about, visiting farmers’ markets, hosting gatherings, and using specialty cheeses in new and unique ways to elevate their culinary creations, according to Midwest cheese shop and catering service owners.
Fromagination, a cheese shop located in the heart of Madison, Wisconsin, on Capitol Square, is directly in the path of the Dane County Farmers’ Market, the largest producer-only farmers’ market in the country. Owner Ken Monteleone takes full advantage of the Saturday morning people surge.
“In the summer months it’s a lot of fun — we have access to the farmers’ market literally across from the store,” he says. “Every Saturday I walk the market and use social media to highlight what’s in season, like morels, garlic scapes and fresh berries. Not only what’s in the market, but how to pair what’s in season in the market with cheeses.”
Tomato season is coming on strong right now, and recently Monteleone notes that he featured how to make a pizza with fresh vegetables and incorporate cheese into Saturday dinner.
In Des Moines, Iowa, C.J. Bienert and his wife Kari own The Cheese Shop along with a nearby cheese-centric restaurant, Cheese Bar. C.J. Bienert notes that they were just seeing momentum for American artisan cheese reach a tipping point in 2010-2011, around when they opened their shop.
Much has changed in the last decade, he says, noting that customers are much more open to and knowledgable about specialty cheeses.
“We had people returning cheese in the beginning because they thought it smelled too much — now they can’t get it stinky enough. Cheese is a relatively young culture in America, and especially the Midwest. But people are traveling more, and food is becoming more of a catalyst for travel as well,” he says.
“In general I think people are more adventurous,” he adds. “They are ready to eat sardines and smelly cheese.”
Post-COVID
When COVID hit a few years ago, it changed the way people consumed cheese, retailers note. Some of these changes have impacted what they see now as far as cheese and cooking trends.
During the pandemic, The Cheese Shop offered smaller-sized cheeseboards with to-go packaging, featuring three or four cheeses with a little charcuterie. Demand for these “Monger Boards” has continued to this day.
“Now it’s a thing, and people will come in on Wednesday nights for cheese and meat. We’ve seen a major uptick in that,” Bienert says. “Also, people are looking for raw milk cheese and farmstead products. They want the most authentic, natural product possible, and price has not been a deterrent.”
Des Moines-based event planner Abbi Gibson started her cheeseboard and catering business, One Board Gal, during the pandemic while most events were put on hold. Looking for ways to spend time at home and still celebrate what was going on in people’s lives, she started creating cheeseboards for events such as birthdays, engagements and other occasions.
“One of my friends bought a new house, and I would drop off a board for them to enjoy safely,” Gibson says. “It started during the pandemic with drop offs and evolved into smaller workshops, where people could socially distance and learn to create a cheeseboard at home. As events started up again, I had a log of inquiries for larger cheeseboards and ‘grazing tables’ for weddings.”
Gibson says now she has become more focused on content creation and education, as how-to and educational videos on social media channels also have become more popular since the pandemic. She has a partnership with Iowa-based grocery chain Hy-Vee, and her videos feature links where viewers can easily buy the ingredients for her cheese creations.
Monteleone notes that during the pandemic, people spent more time in their kitchens — not only creating cheeseboards but also experimenting with new recipes.
“They had so much time to explore different recipes from social media, we’ve seen people more confident preparing meals at home than prior to the pandemic. I’ve talked to several farmers who have also seen that trend,” Monteleone says. “Especially younger generations are embracing cooking at home more than prior to 2019. People had been pent up for so long, they’re out shopping more in person now and spending more time preparing meals.”
Bienert also notes he’s seen a big uptick in people cooking with cheese at home. Raclette is featured on the menu at Cheese Bar, but one trend he’s seen is customers purchasing bigger pieces of Raclette in the shop and making it the centerpiece of their meal.
“We want people to buy cheese, enjoy it, and repeat,” he says. “What better way to do that than to melt it over everything? People are really getting it. ‘Fancy’ started with specialty food, but now people are branching out with grilled cheese or mac and cheese. They’re branching out, seeing how they can elevate a cheeseburger, pizza, or pasta dish with a better ingredient.”
Trending Cheeses
Monteleone says he has seen the sheep’s and goat’s milk cheese categories growing, even in Wisconsin, which primarily has been known for its cow’s milk cheeses. For instance, Fromagination has worked with Blakesville Creamery, which opened in Port Washington, Wisconsin, at the height of the pandemic and offers soft-ripened goat’s milk cheeses as well as some sheep’s milk collaborations.
“It’s most exciting for us to work directly with producers who make small-batch cheeses and are experimenting on different levels,” he says. “Cow’s milk cheeses are still important, but people are becoming more adventurous and willing to try other milk types. When we opened, we offered sheep and goat milk cheese, but if customers were not adventurous, they turned their nose up at it.”
Gibson says Manchego with honey is one of her most popular pairings, but she also likes to incorporate local cheeses into her boards or videos, such as Milton Creamery’s Prairie Breeze Cheddar or Maytag Blue Cheese, both made in Iowa. She also uses cured meats from La Quercia, an Iowa-based charcuterie maker.
“For younger people, if they’re doing a girls’ night, I’d encourage them to buy local cheese, since it can be less expensive to buy domestic than imported. And Wisconsin and Iowa have great cheeses,” she says.
Gibson also says she’s trying to get people to love goat cheese a little more.
“People will say they’ve tried it on salad but never loved it,” she says. “I’ll smear it on a cracker and serve with fruit, like a dessert. … I love encouraging people to try a new cheese and see what I can do to make it approachable. Put goat cheese out, this is how you can slice it or present it. Or try Manchego with honey. It’s always a great time to eat cheese, and cheese is great for every under-the-sun event.”
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Source: Cheese Market News