T
he pandemic has prompted cheese
merchants to dive deep into their creative
toolboxes and find ways to stay connected
with customers. Some of the pivots that retailers
devised have proved so successful that these
new practices may well endure when normal
life resumes. Conversations with a half-dozen
retailers across the country—some veterans, some
newcomers—reveal some selling strategies worth
exploring, if you haven't already.
"We changed more in 10 days than in the 10
years we had been in business," recalls Kendall
Antonelli of Antonelli's Cheese Shop in Austin,
Texas. Within days of learning, in early March, that
the city's mayor had canceled the popular South by
Southwest music festival, Kendall and her husband,
John Antonelli, closed their shop to the public. But
they didn't close their business. They immediately
reoriented toward virtual cheesemongering and
public and private cheese events that have kept
their bottom line healthy.
Virtual Cheesemonger
For several years, the couple had contemplated a
"virtual cheesemonger" offering but the pandemic
kicked the idea into gear. Customers book an
appointment online, then receive a videoconference
link by email. At the appointed time, they "meet"
their personal cheesemonger who takes them on a
video tour of the cheese case by smartphone.
"Not everybody needs this," says Antonelli,
"but for people who aren't familiar with cheese
or for a picky cheese eater who wants to see what
the Brie looks like right now they can hop onto
a virtual meeting." The monger can point out
cheeses at their peak that day, direct a shopper to
Specialty retailers got creative when the pandemic
hit and devised a range of ways to sell and stay
essential—from online tastings to pick-up windows.
Pivots With Staying Power
BY JANET FLETCHER
SPECIALTY FOOD SPECIALTYFOOD.COM SPECIALTY FOOD SPECIALTYFOOD.COM
CHEESE FOCUS
PHOTO ADRINNE A. PHOTOGRAPHY
