Love and passion is what makes local businesses so special. With Gourmet Cheese Co, this couldn’t be truer.
This artisan cheesemonger on Aberdeen’s Rosemount Place has been run by Kathryn Figueiredo since 2017.
She was terrified about running her own shop at first. But now, it’s nothing but love that emanates from her.
From quality cheeses to her super staff and the supportive local community, it’s a wonder how Kathryn’s heart isn’t beating out of her chest her passion for her “little baby” is so strong.
The shop is also entering its busiest season of the year with Christmas approaching and now is as good a time as any to explore the delights of this food haven has to offer.
We talked to Kathryn to find out more about Gourmet Cheese Co.
Tell us about yourself.
I’ve been in Aberdeen now for around 10 years. I’m from Zimbabwe originally, but I’ve also lived in South Africa and America. There weren’t really a lot of working opportunities in Zimbabwe, so my husband Michael and I just moved to where the work was.
His family were in America, so we lived there for around 15 years where he ran his own workshop as a mechanic. After a while, we got a bit tired of the rat race. His mum lives in Forres and my dad was from Glasgow, so we thought we’d relocate closer to our Scottish roots.
How did the opportunity for Gourmet Cheese Co arise?
My husband nipped out to buy some cheese from I.J. Mellis, the cheese shop which used to be here, and found out that it was due to be closing.
I’d been a stay-at-home mum for nearly 23 years at this point and it really did feel like I needed to be doing something else.
So, he thought it would be a perfect opportunity to save the shop by buying it and gifting it to me to run – he went to buy cheese and came back with a cheese shop!
It’s been my little baby since 2017. So many people were upset about the shop closing, so it felt great to be able to save it and keep this gem in Aberdeen.
Had you always planned on running your own business one day?
Not really, no. Running the cheese shop was completely new to me.
I have always enjoyed baking and cooking at home, but it was definitely out of my comfort zone. I was so scared at first. It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever had to do. I didn’t know if I could do it, but now, I love it.
The manager from the previous Mellis shop, Catriona, stayed on with me for a year which was absolutely priceless. This helped me build my knowledge and confidence so much. She taught me so well and I couldn’t have done it without her.
How has the journey been since?
For me personally, it’s been a huge challenge because I’ve had to learn so much.
I didn’t think I could do it, but I was determined to make it work. I’m still learning all the time.
I’ve had a few other staff members who have worked in cheese shops across the country and their knowledge has also helped a lot. With cheese, there’s always so much to learn.
What are some of your most popular cheeses?
What’s so great is that we still have a strong relationship with Mellis and we continue to source the majority of our cheeses from them. We have our Scottish favourites like our Isle of Mull cheddar and Scottish goat’s cheese. These are always popular.
People visiting Aberdeen from abroad often come in to taste the Scottish cheeses we have here. There are plenty of others like brie, blue, smoked cheeses… there’s lots of variety. At the moment, we have a lovely aged gouda cheese called Primadonna, which is my personal favourite.
What makes your products stand out?
All of the cheeses we source are produced on the smallest farms and in the smallest scales.
They’re artisan cheeses that are made with so much love, and I think that’s huge too.
They’re not always the same either; they change from season to season in their flavours. It just depends on what the cows, sheep or goats are eating at the time.
Do you sell other types of products in the shop?
We’re not just a cheesemonger. We sell a lot of charcuterie and accompaniments like chutneys, nuts, olives, chocolates and more.
We also do our amazing toasties, which have become really popular. The fillings are customisable with our cheeses and charcuterie and are just heavenly.
Do you collaborate with other local businesses in Aberdeen?
We’ve been supplying cheeses to the newly opened Tarragon restaurant in Rosemount. We also supply cheeses to Faffless as well. We try to support and buy as much local produce as we can and are always looking for local produce to sell in the shop.
How have your preparations for Christmas been going?
Christmas is the busiest time of the year for us – it keeps us going through the quieter times of the year. We’re taking pre-orders at the moment and we have hampers and Christmas vouchers available. Our cheese wedding cakes are also popular in the summer for weddings. We’ve been busy with these this year.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love this little shop. As scared as I was at first about running it, now, I couldn’t imagine my life now without it. It doesn’t feel like being at work, it’s just a passion.
I love my customers; I feel like I’m in my kitchen at home just chatting to friends. I also take pride in making sure that everyone is happy and giving every customer the very best. I love my staff too, I couldn’t do it without them.
Future plans?
I wish my shop was a little bit bigger, but I don’t want to move! More collaborations in the future would be great to see. We did beer and cheese tastings with Six Degrees North during lockdown and I hope we’ll go back to doing wine and cheese tastings sometime soon. At the moment, this is what I feel like I can cope with and I just love it.
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