There are few foods as popular as cheese. The love of cheese knows no economic boundaries, and therefore even those who don’t have a Bentley budget should be entitled to premium Parmesan and high-end Havarti. It’s not impossible to find good cheese cheaply, especially if you know where to look. Or in our case, you know, someone who knows where to look.
“A lot of it is a question of scalability,” says Zach Berg, cheesemonger and owner of Mongers’ Provisions in Detroit. “When you talk about a farm, you have to talk about the costs of raising and feeding the animals before you even get to the costs of making the cheese, which happens in a very different way than a large industrial operation.”
Buying artisanal cheese in small quantities not only tastes better, but feels better knowing that your extra money is supporting smaller or more local businesses. However, that doesn’t mean that all artisanal cheeses are the same price or that there isn’t much to be had in the world of fine cheeses – and that you can’t get good cheese (relatively) cheaply.
For this purpose, Berg explains some professional strategies on how to chedda on your cheddar… and Gruyere, and Camembert and so on. (We also have tips for How to store your cheese so it lasts longerAnd how to find cheap wine that tastes expensive.)
Talk to a cheesemonger
It will most likely pay off to make friends with your local cheesemonger.
“Finding someone to talk to is the first step,” says Berg. “I would call it finding an ally.” SommeliersCheesemongers are prepared to help you get the most for your money, no matter where your money ends up. If you know you’re planning a cheese board for a certain number of people and want a certain number of cheeses, the pros are best equipped to help you get the most and best cheese for your budget.
“To get the most out of your money, it is always very important to go to places where there is someone you can talk to,” says Berg. “While Trader Joe’s is amazing, it is harder to get the most for your money even though the prices are low.”
In my own experience, all cheese pros have a (metaphorical) bag full of cheeses they know customers will love and that always offer more for their price. You just have to ask. Some that Berg likes are Milton Creamery’s Prairie Breeze, an American cheddar/gouda hybrid; Piave, an Italian alpine-style processed cheese; and Fromager d’Affinois: “It’s what people think of when they think of Brie,” Berg says. The latter is considered more of an industrial cheese than an artisanal one, but that’s all the more reason to talk to the pros.
“You can still use the big players that have economies of scale without selling your soul to the devil or eating bad cheese,” says Berg, who also cites Mitica/Forever Cheese and Hook’s as larger dairies that can offer lower prices but still produce high-quality products.
Ask about discounts, sales and special offers
Look for special offers like Whole Foods’ 12 Days of Cheese, which usually occur in December.
Sometimes you can find unusual cheeses on special offer. “We offer discounts when we buy too much, to be completely transparent,” says Berg. Another reason to make friends with a cheesemonger today so he can show you the products that are on special offer.
“Every cheese has a limited lifespan,” he adds (note: it’s probably longer than you think), “and I’d much rather you take something home and I don’t lose all my money than have it end up in the trash. Often there’s something that needs a home that weekend and we’ll offer it at 20 to 50 percent off. Honestly, it’s a fun way for our customers, especially the adventurous ones, to learn about new cheeses because it feels less risky.”
If there is nothing on offer that interests you, ask about future cheese sales, special offers and promotions that may be coming up.
Ask for bad cuts of good cheese
It doesn’t hurt to ask your local cheesemonger about unusual cuts, which are sometimes sold at a cheaper price.
Speaking of lower financial risk, “We have a ‘good cheese, bad cuts’ bin that we always try to fill,” says Berg. “It’s always really good cheese,” he says, that may just have been cut oddly or come from a small, leftover piece at the end of a larger wheel.
These pieces aren’t the elegant wedges you might want to put on an Instagram-worthy cheese platter, but if you’re looking to try out new cheeses yourself or put together a great mix of shreds for grilled cheese, mac and cheese, or fondue, these odd little pieces can be of tremendous value.
Even larger retailers like Whole Foods or the Murray’s counters in Kroger stores often have a selection of smaller or difficult pieces. You can also look for or ask for a discount basket of small pieces at your local grocery store.
Understanding Cheese Metrics
At cheese counters, prices are often listed per pound, which can be a shock if you’re not used to thinking in practical units of measurement.
“I think most consumers don’t think about cheese in terms of weights and measures,” says Berg, especially if they’re used to buying industrial cheese by the pack rather than by the pound. At the artisan cheese counters, prices are often listed in pounds (or fractions thereof), which can cause price shock if you’re not used to thinking about how much of that $30-per-pound cheese you might actually buy. (I’ve seen some retailers counteract this, however, by listing their prices by the quarter pound.)
Industrially produced blocks of cheese—the shrink-wrapped cheddars and Colby Jacks in your dairy section—are typically sold in 8-ounce or half-pound portions. So unless you plan on eating cheese in a single weekend or preparing a cheese platter for a particularly large gathering, a standard piece of artisanal cheese weighs between a quarter and half a pound for most households. So when you look at those per-pound prices, start sharing and save yourself the heart attack.
On the other hand, because cheese is already in a state of controlled decay, it has a shelf life, so if you get a discount on buying a large quantity at once, if stored properly, there’s little reason to expect to have to throw any of it away because it’s spoiled.
Discover our stores’ loyalty and subscription programs
Many of the best cheese shops now offer subscriptions and customer loyalty programs.
Many cheesemongers offer loyalty or subscription programs, or both, that can also help you save money on your fine cheese needs. For example, if you sign up for Mongers’ Provisions, you’ll get 2% off in-store purchases. “It’s a way for us to stay in touch with our customers,” says Berg, “and we show them that they really care when someone spends their money with us.”
Cheese subscription Boxes from your local shops or dairies may seem like a luxury, but they can also result in savings, not just money but time too. “For people who live further away from the store or don’t like going to a store every time, our subscription boxes can include discounts, and the more you buy, the cheaper the items become.”
Buy local cheese
By supporting good, local cheese producers, they can keep their prices low.
No matter how much you spend on artisanal cheese, and even if you don’t buy it directly from a cheesemaker or cheesemonger, it can be worth it to shop local and get to know the local brands in your area, even if you don’t necessarily save money. “Buying local brands is very rewarding,” says Berg, “because you’re getting wonderful food, your money is staying in the local economy and having a bigger impact there.”
On a related note, the little crunchy grains often found in aged cheese are called tyrosine crystals, which aren’t that far removed from dopamine chemically. That means if you buy local, artisanal cheese, cheese can feel good for more than one reason.
Looking for more helpful Tips and ways to save money this year? We found the the cheapest place to buy groceries online and calculates how much you save when buying private label products.
