More Cheese Please...
More Cheese Please at The Artisan Cheese Awards
What takes your fancy, is it cheddar or stilton? Cream cheese or goat’s cheese? This year saw a record turnout for The Artisan Cheese Awards 2021. Despite covid restrictions, exhibitors, judges, locals and cheese lovers from far and wide showed up and gave their support for this wonderful event. It also included theatre and entertainment, tutored tastings, demonstrations and workshops, alongside the actual competition itself to find Britain’s finest artisan cheeses.
What role did we play?
At inkREADible we supply the awards labels or medal stickers for the various winners which helps them to promote their cheese and ultimately increase sales. Simply put, once placed on the packaging the awards stickers make it quick and easy for consumers to identify a quality product. Winners can order awards stickers and labels by clicking the link here.
Our MD at inkREADible, Jonathon (picture right above), also had the pleasure of judging in this year’s awards. He happily paired up with Edward Hancock (pictured left above) from The Cheese Geek who has a formidable knowledge of cheese. So it seemed appropriate that we ask him to share his insights about why these awards are so beneficial.
How important are competitions like the Artisan Cheese Awards and how do they help cheese producers?
“Most cheesemongers are quite small businesses, with limited resources. So getting out and visiting cheese producers across the entire UK can be tricky and very time consuming, even without the pandemic. We certainly find competitions like the Artisan Cheese Awards useful, as we will always scan through the gold medal winners (and even silver and bronze winners) after the event, and ensure we focus on trying any cheeses there that we haven't come across before. Cheese producers are also very busy people, and so I think having these periodic competitions where you know your cheese is going to get in front of cheesemongers like us is very important, rather than constantly having to hammer the phones and contact retailers one by one.”
So what else can cheese producers and sellers do to promote artisan cheese?
“Well, awards are only one part of this of course. There are over 1000 varieties of cheese produced in the UK, but so few of these are known by the British public. It is a responsibility of cheesemongers like ourselves to ensure the great work of our cheesemakers doesn't go unnoticed. Our approach to this is to make cheese accessible to anyone, with no prior knowledge or expertise required, and wherever you live in the UK. We also ensure that the entire experience of eating great cheese is so much more than just the taste. Our customers should have a wonderful experience from the moment they arrive on our website, all the way through the purchasing process, customer service and finally the magical moment when they receive their cheese, beautifully packaged and presented. In perfect condition of course!
I think many cheesemongers have neglected the experience side of customers' cheese journeys, so I think if we can nail that, we will ensure more cheesemakers have the confidence and security to get into cheesemaking, and more consumers feel comfortable getting excited about artisan cheese and supporting this incredible industry.”
How or why do you think winning a medal at The Artisan Cheese Awards helps raise awareness and sell more product?
“As I mentioned, there are by many counts over 1,000 varieties of cheese being produced just in the UK now, not to mention the many hundreds of cheeses imported into the UK from France, Italy etc. If you have ever been into a cheesemonger, you will have seen first-hand how much choice there is, and how bewildering it can be for the average consumer who probably recognises less than 2% of the cheeses on offer. Which all means that differentiating your product, and making it stand out is critical. Awards are a very important way of achieving that, as long as they are the right awards of course!
The challenge is that many cheesemongers do not display the awards on the cheeses, as often they are cut pieces/presented in clingfilm rather than their original packaging etc. So whilst supermarkets will always have the awards on show, there is an onus on speciality cheesemakers to ensure they communicate the award-winning credentials of cheeses to their customers. Being an online specialist, we always ensure that cheeses that have won awards are clearly labelled as having done so.”
Showing Support
As consumers we can show our support for artisan cheese by ordering directly from the cheese producers or from specialist deli outlets and cheesemongers. Look for the gold, silver and bronze medals as awarded by judges who are industry professionals from a variety of backgrounds from supermarket buyers to cheese producers and sellers themselves.“
inkREADible are award label printing specialists. If you have won an award, then ordering award labels is simple. Simply click here for more information.
