Visiting a small, locally owned cheese shop will be a very different experience from shopping at a large chain like Whole Foods. In this post, we’re going to share our thoughts on the advantages of supporting the little guy or, in our case, girl.

We’ll kick things off with one of the comments that pains us the most:

“I can get [ INSERT PRODUCT NAME HERE ] for much cheaper at Whole Foods!”

Let’s address that before moving along. Yes. Whole Foods has us competitively beat on pricing for many products. We’re a small business. Whole Foods is a chain that profits over $500 million dollars a year. (Fortune 500)

Obviously, their structure and buying power is very different from ours. With that said, Whole Foods has an AMAZING cheese selection. According to their website, you can find anywhere from 250 to 1,000 options depending on the location you visit. (WholeFoods.com)

That’s A LOT of cheese. They also have an entire Cheese Department that’s dedicated to scouring the world for cheese and determining what products make it to the case.

We, on the other hand, do not have a Cheese Department. We are the department. The best part about that is we are personally educating ourselves on new products, sampling new cheeses, and occasionally traveling to source new cheeses.

So what really are the differences between shopping at a local cheese shop like Spread vs. a big chain like Whole Foods?

1. Supporting Local

By shopping at Spread, or any locally owned business for that matter, you’re supporting local people and families in your community. Your support not only allows us continue delivering unique products and services to the Middletown area, but it also allows us to provide jobs to local people. A winning concept all the way around!

2. Uniqueness

No two are the same! We believe that’s one of the best parts about visiting local cheese shops. Every Cheesemonger brings their own unique tastes and experiences to the counter. If you haven’t checked out another cheese shop, we urge you to do so! We guarantee you’ll take away something new and interesting.

3. Try Before You Buy

We are laser focused on providing our customers with an experience. We absolutely love and adore cheese and we want to share our passion and knowledge with you. We personally sample every cheese that we bring into the shop and we gladly give you the opportunity to sample, too!

Sampling is important not just for cheeses that are new to you but equally as important for cheeses that you’re used to eating. There are a number of factors that determine what flavors you’ll experience in a cheese. When the animal was milked. What diet the animal was eating. What time of year the cheese was produced. How long the cheese has been aged. It’s possible to have completely different flavor profiles from one wheel of cheese to the next! The try-before-you-buy concept affords you confidence before committing!

4. Education

Going to a cheese shop is an educational adventure. We’ll be the first to admit: we completely geek out over cheese! A ton of research and education gets invested before we introduce new items to our cheese case. Our Cheesemongers are ready and waiting to share the unique stories behind each of these products.

5. Small Batch Products

There are many cheesemakers around the world who focus on small-batch production. They simply aren’t equipped to produce and distribute their products to chain operations. For example, Spread participates in Adopt-an-Alp. This program offers American stores an opportunity to offer truly small production cheeses that would never make it overseas otherwise. (You can learn more about it here.) Our current Adopt-an-Alp cheese is called Musenalp and we can promise you, you will not be able to find it at Whole Foods.

6. Personal Connection

If you’re a regular, we know you. We know the styles of cheese you typically gravitate toward and we can make recommendations that are completely customized to your personal preferences. When you shop with us enough we start to remember you, your purchases, your stories, and what you like/don’t like. This creates a better experience all around. You can think of it like having a “friend” behind the counter!

We truly thank all our customers for supporting our small business! We look forward to seeing you at the counter and introducing you to something new.

-Jamie, Lindsey, Lily, Alayna, and Paula

Your Local Cheese Shop vs. Whole Foods