Start independently
The Fromagerie Blueprint
Create a cheese business under your own name, built around your market, ambitions and lifestyle.
- Downloadable £59 Starter Pack
- Full toolkit and calculators
- Your own identity and decisions
Independent toolkit
Personal consultancy
Franchise pathway
From idea to opening
Build a cheese business around the life you want.
Practical guidance, personal support and a clear route forward—whether you want to build your own independent fromagerie or open a Cheese Yard franchise.
- Since 2013
- Real trading experience
- 2 locations
- Knutsford & Poynton
- 3 formats
- Built around your life
3
proven formats,
tailored to your life
tailored to your life
Choose your route
How much independence and support do you want?
Start with practical guidance, bring us alongside you, or open with the complete Cheese Yard model.
Build it with us
Consultancy & opening support
Practical, personal support for new founders and existing cafés, delis, farm shops and specialist food businesses.
- Concept and business-model review
- Menu, margin and events support
- Hands-on opening guidance
Open the established model
The Cheese Yard franchise
Operate under The Cheese Yard name with the brand, suppliers, training, systems and ongoing relationship behind you.
- Established specialist brand
- Proven standards and training
- Opening and ongoing support
The independent pathway
Exactly what you receive at each level.
Start with practical guidance and add Vincent's personal support only when you need it. Every level has a clear scope, price and purpose.
-
01
£59
Starter Pack
A downloadable guide to test your idea before committing significant time or money.
What you receive
- Choose between shop only, shop plus events or shop plus restaurant
- Readiness and lifestyle assessment
- High-level startup cost, income and margin exercises
- Location and supplier starter checklists
- A focused 30-day validation plan
Self-guided: detailed calculators, personal consultation and site-specific advice are not included.
-
02
£395
Toolkit & calculators
The complete self-guided Fromagerie Blueprint with editable commercial and operating tools.
What you receive
- Full Blueprint guide and practical operating procedures
- Editable startup budget, funding, P&L and break-even calculators
- Product, menu and event costing tools
- Range, buying, stock, waste and supplier-planning resources
- Food safety, service, staffing and training guidance
- Marketing, launch roadmap, dashboards and opening checks
Self-guided: personal review, consultation and location-specific opening support are not included.
-
03
£995
Toolkit plus consultation
The complete toolkit plus a personal review of your concept, figures and priorities with Vincent.
What you receive
- Everything in the £395 Toolkit & Calculators package
- Advance review of your concept and completed figures
- A private 90-minute video consultation with Vincent
- Advice on your model, margins, range, offer and revenue streams
- A personalised written action plan
- One 30-minute follow-up call
Delivered remotely: site visits and ongoing opening support are not included.
-
04
From £2,500
Opening support
A bespoke programme for founders who want Vincent alongside them as they prepare to open.
Your programme can include
- Everything in the Toolkit plus Consultation package
- Project scoping and a personalised opening roadmap
- Guidance on format, location, budgets and margins
- Support with range, menu, suppliers and operating systems
- Scheduled review calls through the agreed opening period
- Final launch-readiness review and opening checklist
Bespoke scope: the final fee and timescale are agreed before work begins. Site visits, travel, recruitment, team training and launch-day support are quoted separately where required.
Your £59 is not wasted. Upgrade to the full toolkit within 30 days and the Starter Pack price can be credited against it.
Get the Starter PackA business shaped around you
Choose the format that fits your life.
A proper fromagerie does not have to follow one fixed model. The right format depends on the hours you want to work, the income you need, the market around you and the kind of customer experience you want to create.
We help you decide what belongs in your business now, what can be phased in later and what you can confidently leave out.
Cheese shop only
A focused specialist retail model built around expert service, tasting and take-home cheese.
Cheese shop plus events
Retail supported by tastings, themed evenings, private bookings and memorable cheese experiences.
Cheese shop plus restaurant
A fuller hospitality model combining specialist retail with a cheese-led food and drink offer.
Independent or franchise?
Two credible routes. One honest choice.
The consultancy is not a disguised franchise sales process. Choose independence when you want your own identity; choose the franchise when you want the complete established model.
What you are choosing
Independent route
Cheese Yard franchise
Brand
Your own name and identity
The Cheese Yard brand
Business model
Designed by you with guidance
Established model and standards
Tools and support
Choose the level you need
Structured opening and ongoing support
Suppliers and training
Recommendations and independent decisions
Approved suppliers and franchise training
Ongoing relationship
Optional consultancy
Ongoing franchise relationship
Experience from behind the counter
Advice grounded in a business that actually trades.
Vincent has built The Cheese Yard from an independent Knutsford shop into a cheese-led retail, hospitality, events and gifting business with a second location in Poynton.
The guidance shares the practical thinking behind the model: what to sell, where profit can be made, how experiences create repeat visits and how to shape the business around the life you want.
“This is practical support built from running real shops, serving real customers and learning what makes a cheese-led business work.”
Vincent
Founder, The Cheese Yard
Questions before you begin
Frequently asked questions
If your situation is more specific, use the form below and tell us what you are considering.
Do I need previous cheese or hospitality experience?
No. The Starter Pack helps you understand the decisions involved before you commit, while the higher levels add more detailed tools and personal support. Franchise partners receive structured training as part of the franchise pathway.
Is the independent route part of The Cheese Yard franchise?
No. The independent route is for building a business under your own name. The Cheese Yard name, trademarks, branded assets and trade dress are not included. The franchise is a separate option for people who want to operate the established branded model.
Can I upgrade after buying the £59 Starter Pack?
Yes. If you move to the full toolkit within 30 days, the £59 Starter Pack price can be credited against your upgrade.
How do I know which business format is right for me?
Start with the life you want the business to support, then consider local demand, premises, investment, required income and your appetite for hospitality. The Starter Pack introduces that decision; consultancy allows us to work through it with you personally.
Can you help an existing café, deli or farm shop?
Yes. Consultancy can focus on offer development, cheese retail, menu and margins, events revenue or the addition of a stronger cheese-led experience to an existing business.
Your next step
Tell us what you are thinking about.
You do not need to have every answer. Share your idea, your location and the kind of support you think you need, and we will point you towards the most useful next step.
- Tell us where you are in the process
- Choose the support you are interested in
- Receive the most relevant next step
