"At first, no one knows their name and you have to suggest it over-and-over, offering samples and telling the story. Then-if it's a good cheese-it develops a following and it sells itself. Your mongering efforts can go to other cheeses that need support because you cannot count on the fact that an appropriate number of pounds or wheels will just fly out the door on the momentum already built through the loyalty of their fans."
"Sometimes, there is another cycle. Especially if a cheese is local, it may even get a little oversaturated: on so many restaurant menus and cheese boards that cheese eaters may start finding it too obvious or ubiquitous to serve to friends. That's when mongers need to step in again. We promoted Cowgirl Creamery's Mt Tam last month and this month are reminding people how good it is."
Cheesemongers observe long trajectories in cheeses: initially unknown varieties require repeated suggestion, sampling, and storytelling until they develop loyal followings and sell themselves. Local cheeses can later become oversaturated on restaurant menus and cheese boards, prompting cheesemongers to re-promote them. A bulk discounted purchase of Cowgirl Creamery's Mt. Tam spurred rapid retail movement, selling the first twenty cases quickly and enabling additional purchases through the season. Mt. Tam is a triple-cream, soft-ripened cheese with extra cream added to approach butter in richness, and it is distinctively firmer than many brie-style cheeses.
Read at San Francisco Bay Times
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