Elite Imports launches blue cheese wedge with innovative waxed packaging

Grand Noir is a triple gold medal winning semi-soft creamy blue cheese with a spicy blue character that has been growing in popularity with sales growing +56% YOY over Christmas 2022. The Grand Noir Wedge is being launched exclusively by Carron Lodge beginning with independent retail and cheesemongers in May 2023.

Wax has traditionally been used to preserve hard cheeses like cheddars or mini festive Stilton, however this is the first time a wedge portion of a blue cow’s milk cheese other than Stilton has been waxed.

Waxing the cheese increases the shelf life up to 55 days compared to a wheel of cheese which means a fresher cheese for consumers. It also allows retailers to offer a range of cheese options particularly if they don’t have a cheese counter.

Mick Acuta, sales manager Elite Imports Ltd said: “We’ve worked closely with Carron Lodge to develop the Grand Noir Wedges which we’re thrilled to launch to trade this month. Sales of Grand Noir have been increasing year-on-year so it was the right time to create a shelf-ready option for customers.

“We believe this is the first time a blue cow’s milk cheese wedge portion has been waxed, so we’re excited to see how shoppers react. Sales of soft blue cheeses are rocketing with a huge jump in sales 2021-2022, so we hope this new format will introduce more cheese-fans to the exceptional taste of Grand Noir.”

Grand Noir is a triple gold award winning cheese, having scooped Gold in the International Cheese & Dairy Awards in 2021 and 2022 and Gold in the Global Cheese Awards 2021, alongside a host of silver and bronze medals.

Tom Rhodes, operations manager at Carron Lodge said: “There’s an increasing demand for premium grab-and-go waxed cheeses which is predominantly led by cheddars and wensleydales so it’s exciting to launch a blue portioned waxed cheese. We’ve worked tirelessly to add a new line to facilitate the production of Grand Noir Wedge to ensure that it’s the best quality.”

Käserei Champignon is a family-owned German dairy company that has made the finest speciality cheeses for over 100 years.