Cheese shop only
A focused specialist retail model with artisan cheese, gifting, subscriptions and celebration orders.
- Simpler daily operation
- Retail and gifting led
- Strong seasonal opportunity
The Cheese Yard franchise
Own a proper fromagerie. Build it around your life.
Open a distinctive cheese-led business with an established brand, trusted suppliers, practical systems and personal support behind you.
Since 2013Real trading experience
2 locationsKnutsford & Poynton
3 formatsShaped around your life
3proven formats,
tailored to your life
tailored to your life
A clear point of difference
Not another café.
Not another deli.
The Cheese Yard is a specialist fromagerie with retail at its heart and hospitality, gifting and memorable experiences built around it.
- A product customers already know and love
- Several complementary income streams under one brand
- A warm, expert customer experience that encourages repeat visits
- More than a decade of practical learning behind the model
A business model built around your life
Choose the format that fits your ambition, market and lifestyle.
Every format keeps specialist cheese retail at its centre. We help you choose the right level of hospitality and events for your location.
Cheese shop plus events
Add bookable tastings, Raclette evenings, Fondue nights and private experiences without running a restaurant every day.
- Turns quieter hours into revenue
- Builds local community
- Creates repeat reasons to visit
Cheese shop plus restaurant
The complete cheese-led destination, combining specialist retail with a warm, low-preparation hospitality offer.
- Retail, dining and events
- Raclette, Fondue and cheeseboards
- Multiple customer occasions
One brand. Multiple revenue streams.
More than one reason to visit—and more than one way to earn.
Artisan cheese retail
A carefully curated British and Continental range, sold with knowledgeable service.
Cheese-led dining
Raclette, Fondue, cheeseboards, Afternoon Cheese and seasonal specials.
Events & tastings
Ticketed experiences that build community and add value to quieter periods.
Gifts & subscriptions
Curated boxes, vouchers and recurring cheese discovery beyond the shop visit.
Weddings & celebrations
Premium cheese towers and occasion orders that extend local brand awareness.
Private & corporate
Group tastings, celebrations and tailored experiences with attractive spend.
Refined through real trading
You are not starting with a blank sheet of paper.
The model has evolved since 2013 through serving real customers, managing stock, building events and learning what keeps people coming back.
01Specialist retail remains the heart of the business.
02Cheese-led hospitality stays distinctive and operationally focused.
03Seasonal products, gifting and events broaden the customer occasions.
04Friendly expertise turns discovery into loyalty.
Support from day one
Practical help from first conversation to opening—and beyond.
Territory & property
Support evaluating your area, catchment and potential premises.
Store design & fit-out
Guidance to create a location that feels unmistakably Cheese Yard.
Training
Cheese knowledge, service, food, retail, events and business operations.
Supplier network
Introductions to established specialist producers, importers and partners.
Launch support
Branding, pre-opening marketing and practical opening preparation.
Ongoing relationship
Regular reviews, advice and continued brand and system development.
The investment
A clear route into an established specialist brand.
Actual total investment varies with the property, size, condition and fit-out required. No previous cheese experience is needed; full training is provided.
Minimum total investmentFrom £35,000
Franchise licence fee£8,000 + VAT
Management fee£500 + VAT
per month
per month
Marketing fee£0
Who we are looking for
Cheese knowledge can be taught. The right mindset matters more.
This is a hands-on, customer-facing opportunity for someone who wants to build a trusted local business.
People first
You enjoy service, conversation and building lasting customer relationships.
Quality minded
You care about the details behind excellent products and experiences.
Community focused
You want your Cheese Yard to become a place people recommend and return to.
Ambitious
You are ready to work hands-on and grow a successful local business.
From enquiry to opening
A considered process, with support at every stage.
Discover
Request the information pack, talk with us and visit The Cheese Yard.
Evaluate
Review your territory, investment and whether the opportunity fits both sides.
Build
Secure the right location, complete training and bring your shop to life.
Open
Launch your Cheese Yard and welcome your first customers—with us behind you.
Could your town be next?
We are looking for the right partners in the right places.
Take the first step and discover whether The Cheese Yard could be the business you have been looking for.
Submitting an enquiry does not commit you to anything. It simply starts the conversation.
