Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/116674
STORE STATS FROMAGIO'S ARTISAN CHEESE 10950 O'Malley Centre Anchorage, AK 907.277.3773 3701 Spenard Anchorage, AK 907.562.3773 fromagioscheese.com Year Opened: 2010 (original store); 2012 (second location) Total Area: 760 square feet (original store); Best sellers include L'Amuse Gouda, Rolf Beeler Gruyere, Cypress Grove Midnight Moon and Purple Haze, and anything blue. "We have 15 blues in our case at any time," Howarth says. "People here love blue cheese." 1,200 square feet (second location) Retail Area: 600 square feet (original store); 900 square feet (second location) Employees: 8 (3 fulltime, 5 part-time) Backstory: Formerly an arts administrator—she managed the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra—Howarth discovered specialty cheese while traveling to the "Lower 48" on business. Impressed by shops like Murray's in New York and Cowgirl Creamery in San Francisco, she opened Alaska's first specialty cheese shop, in Anchorage, in 2010. Two years later, she opened a second, larger Anchorage location. Product Mix: "I'm strictly a cheese shop," Howarth says, though that wasn't her initial plan. State laws, to her surprise, did not permit a beer and wine license, and she soon eliminated most non-cheese merchandise. "Vinegars and oils weren't my expertise, and other shops had those things," says the merchant. "I needed to focus on cheese." Today, her shops typically carry about 80 domestic and imported varieties, of which 50 are core items. Every cheese is cut to order. Charcuterie from Fra' Mani, Salumeria Biellese and Creminelli, cheeseappropriate spreads and condiments, and packaged crackers complete the selection. Howarth plans to start producing her own line of crackers soon. "By the time most crackers get to us, they're in broken bits," she says. Superstar Sellers: L'Amuse Gouda, Rolf Beeler Gruyere, Cypress Grove Midnight Moon and Purple Haze, and anything blue. "We have 15 blues in our case at any time," Howarth says. "People here love blue cheese." Customer Base: "Anchorage cheese consumers are not overly sophisticated, and I would include myself in that category," Howarth says. "We're all learning. I'm trying to get people to think of cheese as something other than what you pick up with a toothpick." Evening cheese-appreciation classes sell out at $45 per person, and new staffers are encouraged to sit in. Service as Strategy: Howarth is counting on service to distinguish her shops, especially now that she has some big-store competition. Fred Meyer, the supermarket chain, recently introduced a cheese counter in two Anchorage locations, and Costco offers some of the same cheeses as Fromagio's at prices the independent store can't meet. 22 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com Average Customer Transaction: $35 Annual Sales (original store): $300,000/year Sales Distribution Cheese (including catering): 90 percent Cheese accompaniments: 10 percent "For me, it's about finding a niche," Howarth explains. "How am I going to position myself? We do it on customer service, that interaction between the cheesemonger and the person coming in the door who's feeling a little nervous and doesn't know where to start. We do our best to make them comfortable." The average transaction takes 10 to 15 minutes, and no purchase is too small. "Our business model is centered on giving people an experience," the retailer says. That means generous and leisurely sampling. A particularly young patron recently came in with fifty cents to spend, Howarth recalls, and the cheesemonger on duty found something to delight him.