Are you connecting with your cheese case?

My cheese world is filled with discussions about the rewards and challenges of selling American specialty cheeses.

Most of us live in areas where we are so far removed from our food sources-not knowing if our fruits and vegetables are from across the street or across the world.

We rack our brains about how to link consumers to the cheese makers and their cheeses. And, there it is-hiding in plain sight. It is about connecting.

Our American specialty cheese makers are a significant link for us to the land. We know who they are as people and how they make their cheese. Many use milk from their own herds or from a small circle of surrounding farms.

Our educational goal with consumers becomes two-fold: We teach them not only to think about their food sources and become reconnected, but we hold up our American specialty cheese makers as examples. They provide food for us today, using time-honored methods that take us to a better place and time in our food history.

How do we get the message across to consumers? Retailers are learning the stories of the makers, their cheeses and their animals. They educate their staff to become the daily storytellers, enlightening each customer.

Many retailers laminate feature articles on cheese makers and display them near the cheese cases. Few hearts can turn away from the story of the Amish making cheese to support their families, hand milking their animals twice a day, maintaining a turn-of-the-century lifestyle. Above all, the flavor of their cheese reflects the care that goes into making it.

Many retailers are making personal connections with the cheese makers-calling to ask questions about their cheeses or taking advantage of the wealth of information on the cheese makers' web sites: When is a cheese at its best? How should the cheese be wrapped? What is the best temperature for storage? What special technique is required to make this cheese?

Customers notice signage and where products are placed in the cheese cases. American specialty cheeses deserve to be center stage in areas with high visibility. An old merchandising rule of thumb is to put the high-volume, everyday cheeses off to the side or lower in the case. The customer's eye is drawn to the interesting cheeses in the center of the case, with the signs telling their stories.

Grouping American specialties together in the case is another tool giving them the stature we give our sections of cheeses from other countries. And regional cheese promotions have been successful ways to connect with consumers. The California,Wisconsin and New England promotional boards offer programs to promote their area's specialty cheeses.

Or create your own promotion. How about an "American Blues Festival" celebrating blue cheeses or "Let Us Get Your Goat" featuring American goat cheeses? How about a "Fall for Fondue" promotion with American-made gruyere and Swiss-style cheeses? If you are fortunate to have cheese makers near by, invite them for a Meet the Cheese Maker event.

When we share the cheese makers' stories, consumers will make this important connection.

Copyright United Publications, Inc. Oct 2001
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved