Our Shared Outlook
Cheese is more than cheese. It's all the work that goes into making that cheese. The land, the milk, the care.
Below are some partners we've highlighted to show that care.
Our ideal vendors have one or all of the following characteristics: 1) They are artisans of their craft. 2) They are inventive and pioneering in their specialties. 3) They honor traditions and bring global flavors. 4) Commitment to high quality, traditional production methods. 5) They craft products that outshine the rest in their category 6) Local or glocal minded
Producers we Love
Essex Street Cheese
Essex Street Cheese Company was founded by Daphne Zepos and Jason Hinds with the intent of selecting and importing a small assortment of only the best cheeses in Europe. Their initial product list was as small as possible, as they imported only one cheese: a Comte from Fort St. Antoine in the French Jura. It is unheard-of to establish an importation company to handle only one cheese, but Daphne and Jason were confident that they had identified the finest Comte in the world, and knew they could create demand for it.
They quickly established themselves as arbiters of great taste, and American cheese shops were anxious to see what was next. Over the next few years, they added superlative examples of various styles of cheese to their catalog. They specialize in cheese styles that may have to overcome a perception of commodity in the States, but have identified only the finest of these styles: L’Amuse Gouda, Manchego 1605 and Cravero Parmigiano Reggiano, to name a few.
With the expansion of the line came expansion of staff. The Juhls Sisters, Leah and Rachel, now oversee operations and partnership development. Holiday visitors to our stores may recognize Rachel as our guest monger at Rittenhouse, Ardmore and the Italian Market during the Christmas rush last year. Leah and Rachel can also be found in our stores at the end of every June, along with all of their cheese makers, as part of our Legend’s Series.
Essex has also helped sponsor four Di Bruno mongers on trips to visit their cheese makers in Holland, France and Spain. You can see why we love them!
Bottom line: the Essex team is dedicated to traditional and exemplary cheese making, and excel at building relationships and educating American mongers.
Neal's Yard Dary
If you are aware that the oft-mocked British cheese assortment actually contains some of the most noble and time-honored cheeses in Europe, odds are Neal’s Yard Dairy played a part in your enlightenment.
Neal’s Yard Dairy does something that very few exporters are able to do: they work directly with each cheese maker, advising them on how to alter a recipe to abide by traditional methods. As a result, they have revived many styles of authentic British cheeses, including Cheddar and Stilton.
Do you know that traditional Cheddar is bound in cloth and doesn’t need to be aged even two years to develop rich flavors? Thank NYD.
Are you aware that traditional Stilton is not bound in purple wax, and should not be intensely “blue” in flavor? Thank NYD.
Have you wanted to try authentic Caerphilly, that cheese that Wallace and Gromit rave about? NYD makes it possible.
The other side of working with the makers is working with the retailer, and NYD has committed countless hours to training American mongers on their craft. To date, three Di Bruno mongers have visited Neal’s Yard Dairy in London, working the retail stores, assisting in the maturation of cheese, and visiting farms.
They can be found in Di Bruno stores every June, along with a couple of their superb cheese makers, as part of our Legends Series.
Columbia Cheese
Columbia Cheese is dedicated to sourcing and celebrating traditional the cheeses of central Europe, primarily in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. Even the most casual consumer of cheese is familiar with Gruyere and Emmenthaler, but beyond that, cheeses from these countries exist in relative obscurity. Columbia Cheese is helping to change that.
If you have ever experience extreme elation after tasting Challerhocker, Columbia is responsible for that. So, too, if you have sampled the Scharfe Maxx S’more, or been confounded by the fudge-like consistency of Chiriboga Blue.
Columbia was founded by Joe Moskowitz, and is currently run by his son, Adam. Adam has surrounded himself with great talent, Glenn and Jon, who routinely make the trip to Philadelphia to work with staff, conduct demos and build relationships.
Feeling warm and fuzzy? Meet more of our partners on our blog.
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