Step inside The Cheeseboard and you\u2019re likely to leave with more than just a piece of cheese. You\u2019ll probably also head home with the story of the farmer who made it, a few tasting tips and a new appreciation for Australia\u2019s artisan cheesemakers.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s exactly what owner Wendy Downes hopes for \u2013 and why businesses like hers are being celebrated as part of the American Express Shop Small campaign, which highlights the vital role independent retailers play in their local communities.<\/p>\n
The Brisbane specialty retailer has built its reputation on championing handcrafted Australian cheese, working directly with cheesemakers across the country while connecting customers with the people and stories behind every product.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we want to have dairy farmers, and local cheeses being made here, we need to eat them,\u201d Ms Downes says. <\/p>\n
\u201cPeople need to know about them, understand them and love them.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Cheeseboard works directly with artisan cheesemakers from across Australia, maturing many cheeses on site before introducing customers to the stories behind them. <\/p>\n
Rather than simply selling cheese, Ms Downes sees the business as a bridge between producers and consumers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I\u2019m a bridge between the eaters and the makers,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
That personal connection is something Ms Downes believes only small businesses can truly offer. The Cheeseboard focuses on expertise, with trained cheesemongers guiding customers through tastings and helping them choose cheeses for everything from dinner parties to milestone celebrations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t compete with the major supermarkets, but we can provide a level of service people won\u2019t get anywhere else,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Located within Brisbane\u2019s Albion Fine Trades precinct alongside other independent food businesses, The Cheeseboard has become part of a thriving local network where collaboration is key to its success. Customers regularly discover the store through neighbouring businesses, while recommendations from friends remain one of its strongest marketing tools.<\/p>\n
For Ms Downes, the greatest reward isn\u2019t measured in weekly takings but in the relationships built over time. \u201cYou help them celebrate their events.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou do a graduation, then an engagement, then the wedding. Then you\u2019re putting together a cheese box for the new mum in hospital after she has her first baby,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Those moments, she says, are what make running a small business worthwhile.<\/p>\n
Like many independent operators, The Cheeseboard continues to face rising costs and tight margins, but Ms Downes remains committed to paying local cheesemakers fairly.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we don\u2019t pay our cheesemakers fairly, they\u2019re not going to be here,\u201d she says. \u201cI got into this business because I wanted them to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Ms Downes, choosing to shop local is about much more than a transaction. \u201cCommunity is what keeps us all going,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019ve all moved our focus from being competitors to being community \u2013 working together at our strengths.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Step inside The Cheeseboard and you\u2019re likely to leave with more than just a piece of cheese. You\u2019ll…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":59212,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[64541,64568,52195,64528,64589,64582,56157,64572,48145,64531,64579,64540,64533,23,21,99,29113,64536,64570,64573,64563,3922,6868,54161,38383,64547,64546,64577,8323,1819,64567,64571,64549,39,64588,37862,64575,64550,18225,64538,64539,64552,64583,64551,37409,64535,64581,64527,64556,64586,64574,38833,64542,64585,3121,5275,7350,64544,64564,44811,19468,64554,41889,64566,64565,64584,46738,64578,37024,64529,64560,43255,64548,64557,64530,64543,64559,64576,54267,64580,37720,64587,64562,64534,64545,64553,64558,64569,64532,64561,36894,64555,64537],"class_list":["post-59211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brisbane","tag-s-albion-fine-trades-precinct","tag-s-artisan-cheesemakers","tag-a-bridge","tag-a-cheese-box","tag-a-few-tasting-tips","tag-a-graduation","tag-a-level","tag-a-new-appreciation","tag-a-small-business","tag-a-thriving-local-network","tag-a-transaction","tag-anywhere-else","tag-artisan-cheesemakers","tag-australia","tag-austrlia","tag-brisbane","tag-businesses","tag-cheese","tag-cheese-shop-owner","tag-cheesemakers","tag-cheeses","tag-collaboration","tag-community","tag-competitors","tag-customers","tag-dairy-farmers","tag-dinner-parties","tag-every-product","tag-expertise","tag-friends","tag-handcrafted-australian-cheese","tag-her-first-baby","tag-her-local-community","tag-hospital","tag-independent-retailers","tag-its-reputation","tag-its-strongest-marketing-tools-for","tag-its-success","tag-local","tag-local-cheesemakers","tag-local-cheeses","tag-many-cheeses","tag-many-independent-operators","tag-milestone-celebrations","tag-moments","tag-more-than-just-a-piece","tag-ms-downes","tag-neighbouring-businesses","tag-only-small-businesses","tag-other-independent-food-businesses","tag-our-cheesemakers","tag-our-focus","tag-our-strengths","tag-owner-wendy-downes","tag-part","tag-partner-content","tag-people","tag-personal-connection","tag-producers-and-consumers","tag-recommendations","tag-rising-costs","tag-service-people","tag-site","tag-step","tag-tastings","tag-the-american-express-shop-small-campaign","tag-the-business","tag-the-cheeseboard","tag-the-country","tag-the-eaters","tag-the-farmer","tag-the-giants","tag-the-greatest-reward","tag-the-major-supermarkets","tag-the-makers","tag-the-new-mum","tag-the-people-and-stories","tag-the-relationships","tag-the-store","tag-the-stories","tag-the-story","tag-the-supermarket-giants","tag-the-vital-role","tag-the-wedding","tag-their-events","tag-their-local-communities-the-brisbane-specialty-retailer","tag-then-an-engagement","tag-this-brisbane-cheese-shop-owner","tag-this-business","tag-tight-margins","tag-time","tag-trained-cheesemongers","tag-weekly-takings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59211\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}