Laliberté Cheese 2.0 has officially launched, live and in-person! Our beautiful store opened at 441 Cliffe Ave, in downtown Courtenay on October 11th, just in time to greet the masses for Thanksgiving. And, wow, the masses came. I don't think that, in our wildest dreams, could we have anticipated the turn-out during opening week and the following days.
Honestly, we thought we would have a bit of a soft-launch, open quietly, have some time to figure out our staffing needs, get the many (and there were many) technical glitches out of the way before dealing with lines of people wanting cheese & charcuterie. We thought we'd greet people with a freshly baked cookie, have time for a chat with customers, just overall have a relaxing introduction into the world of in-person retail.
Nope. We had folks at the door on the first day before we'd even opened. And we were slinging cheese and charcuterie until we closed that night. Only to do it all over again the next day. And the next, and the next. It was very rewarding, and a bit exhausting. My big take-away is, get better shoes. Oh, and also more charcuterie from Oyama, because we were NOT prepared for that demand. So...150% successful business launch.
Thank you to all of you who supported me through my almost 3 years of online cheese sales, retailing through other businesses, and just generally trying to keep the business alive. You helped bring me to this point. So pat yourselves on the back because now you have a cheese shop to visit!
Say Hello to Laliberté Cheese & Gourmet Pantry!
Laliberté Cheese Co has officially been retired, other than some random references and logos that are slowly being updated across the internet universe. The re-branding included a name change, a massive addition of gourmet foods and beautiful things, and oh, yes, a new business partner.
Ankia Kriegler (to the left) is someone that I am fortunate enough to call a great friend, but she is so much more than that. One of that hardest workers I know, she brings with her a keen eye for beautiful things and a design style that I can only aspire to. She is the visionary behind the buttery yellow in the store that everyone keeps remarking on. She is responsible for the unique pieces that you find, the little french jugs, the antique salt & pepper shakers, the pieces of art. Design is her passion, and I am so fortunate that she said yes to the partnership proposal wayyyy back in January when I first decided that yes, I'm going to do this thing. Also, she really likes cheese, so it's a good fit.
I thought it might be hard to let go of the feeling of ownership that I had about Laliberté Cheese Co, but it's actually been great. The store has become so much more than I could have anticipated, and it would be near impossible for me to do it all.
You'll see us in the store sometimes together, sometime apart. We are in the process of bringing on new staff, so please have patience as they learn the art of cheese cutting and wrapping!
Let's Talk About Stock, Bab-y...Let's Talk About Meat and Cheese....
A little Salt-N-Pepa anybody? Now that you've got that song in your head, reread the title and it will all make sense, unless I completely missed the mark.
We are doing our best to stay stocked. But it has been hard because you all keep showing up! There are so many "Oh! You have Oyama!", or "You have so many cheeses!", and it is true, until it isn't. We have a growing selection of cheeses, along with our regulars items (the Comtés, the Morbiers, and the slumpy Délice de Bourgognes). As well as a variety of Oyama saucissons, sliced salamis and a growing list of patés.
And of course, the walls of gourmet foods and beautiful things!
Coming Soon
Well, if you've been in the store, you will have seen the half empty display fridge and freezer standing there. Those will start filling up shortly. We've already added some pesto, but we will be working on frozen mac & cheese, tomato confit, quiches and grab n'go charcuterie boards to make things easier on a busy evening, or when you need something to take to a get-together. Though we won't be a full-on deli, pretty sure we'll never have the time to make sandwiches, (never say never), we will generally aim to have some yummy pre-made things for you.
All that to say, we will be evolving for the next little bit, putting all of our plans into place.
Moonlight & Magic
We are pretty excited to take part in this annual event in downtown Courtenay. Moonlight & Magic is an evening where stores open their doors late into the night, and step it up a little. The energy is great, lots of people milling around. While we are a bit removed from 5th street, where most of the action is, we will be hanging in the shop, with our aprons on and knives ready to send you out the door with tasty food. We, of course, will have some cheese & charcuterie tasting opportunities, aaannddd...we will be hosting some of our fave people to do onsite tastings. Beaufort Winery will be setting up in our store and offering paired tastings with a selection of our cheeses! We are so excited about this collab! We love their wine and we love their energy! Stop by on November 15th to see us!
Holiday Stuff
I am 100% recommending Christmas pre-orders. I think that we will be very, very busy. That doesn't mean you can't order extra things in the store, it just means it's helpful for us to know ahead of time, when you are coming, what you want and how much. We can have the bulk of your order ready to go (cut that day), and you can add onto it if you'd like. And yes, you can pay in-store at pick up.
We will be doing our in-house fondue mixes, both the regular (cow) and the shepherd's mix (goat & sheep). You can order as much as you want and we will have it ready for you in all it's shredded glory.
And for the specialty gifts for yourself or someone you really like, we are in the midst of our 24-day Cheese Advent Calendar sales. We are pretty excited, we have a new and fancy box for it this year. All new cheeses compared to last year. We are also doing our 12-day Cheese Advent Calendar which can be ready for December 1st or December 12th pickup. And our Christmas boxes, which have a selection of cheese, crackers, olives and a sweet treat inside can be ordered now. A perfect box to give or bring with you on a holiday getaway.
Charcuterie Boards
Yes, we are doing them. They will be delicious. Pre-order for pick up, or if you need a smaller one for 1-3 people we will have some pre-made in our grab n'go fridge. Reach out to us via email for details.
Baskets, baskets, baskets
You can order a basket online or pick up a pre-made one in-store. We can do perishable and non-perishable depending on where and when it's headed out to it's destination (yes we ship!).
Want something custom? Let us curate it or purchase the items and add the gift basket add-on. We will put it all into one of our stylish and functional baskets, and wrap it all up with a pretty bow.
Need corporate baskets for your team? We have you covered as well.
Information overload! If you only made it halfway though this long newsletter you probably aren't reading this part, but you hopefully read the most important part which is that we have a store. The store is great. And we would love if you stopped in and said Hi.
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