An independent cheese retailer set to represent the region in the finals of a national awards scheme has invested in a mobile unit to help promote his business.
Alex Hunt, who runs The Cheese Locker in Abbots Bromley, has spent in the region of £6,000 buying and converting an old horse trailer into a mobile shop which he plans to take to local markets and events and has named after his late grandmother.
His small shop, opened in October 2021, stocks between 30 and 50 different cheeses and a small range of them will be available in the mobile unit, alongside a selection of cooked hams and crackers.
The launch comes at an exciting time for Alex, as he has recently been voted Local Food and Drink Champion in the Countryside Alliance Awards and will travel to the House of Lords today for a reception where the national champions will be announced.
Alex, who was also a finalist in the Cheesemonger of the Year category at this year’s Farm Shop and Deli Show, said: “The shop is going really well, but it is very small and hard to find.
“This is a way for me to let more people know about what I do and where I am.
“I call the mobile shop Audrey after my late grandmother who died in 2021 during the Covid pandemic.
“I’ve had a lot of great feedback about it and it got a lot of interest from people during my first event who came over to talk about, sample and buy different cheeses.”
Alex, pictured above, was studying a psychology degree during the pandemic when he lost his grandmother and saw his father become seriously ill with Covid-19.
Alex himself was also hospitalised with the disease and afterwards decided to put back his dissertation and launch his own business.
His family have links to the industry and, last year, The Cheese Locker was featured in a top trade magazine’s list of the UK’s most inspirational cheese retailers.
Alex hopes to take ‘Audrey’ to markets in Hednesford, Cannock, Stone and Lichfield in the coming months.
