CHEESE FOCUS
Saxelby Cheese: Northeast Picks, No Fillers
PHOTO: EVA MESZAROS
In New York, Anne Saxelby maintains an even sharper focus at
her 7-year-old Saxelby Cheese. With only 150 square feet of selling
space, Saxelby has to be choosy. From the start, she has showcased
cheeses and dairy products almost exclusively from the Northeast,
buying directly from nearly 50 small farms. The store does not use
distributors.
The product mix is now shifting slightly, Saxelby says, because
her wholesale business is growing. Restaurant chefs want stability,
so she is adding some slightly larger producers, including some from
Wisconsin. But her emphasis remains the Northeast, from Maine
to New York.
Customer favorites include two Vermont products: Twig
Farm cheeses, particularly the signature Goat Tomme, and Cabot
Clothbound Cheddar. The latter cheese "hits the sweet spot, flavorwise and pricewise," Saxelby says. The store typically carries 50
to 100 selections, with inventory swelling in summer, when farmers
have more to sell.
Buying directly from so many small producers requires a lot of
phone time. "It's more work for us," Saxelby concedes, echoing Will
Frischkorn, "but we know a lot more about the product. Farmers
get into the story of why this batch is a little different, and we can
communicate that to our customers. You're more excited about the
cheese when you have a story to tell, and customers can sense your
enthusiasm. It's contagious."
Saxelby Cheese
lose a sale because a
chef has something on the menu and
we run out of it. It takes a certain kind of
customer to be ready for the what-ifs."
"Sometimes we
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