Season is almost upon us, and there’s an extra buzz in the air at Wild Peacock because we’re about to open our first-ever cheese shop. Makers Landing is the new incubator space for South African food industry entrepreneurs in the V&A Waterfront and they have created a space for us to share our range.
We’ve always wanted to open a dedicated cheese shop. Our collection of South African artisanal cheeses was started by Sarah, our cheese genius, some years ago and it’s continued to grow. It includes iconic examples of the craft from some the best cheesemakers in the country, as well as some hard-to-come-by gems from very small producers.
When the folk at Maker’ Landing approached us about opening something in their incubator space, we immediately thought of the cheese collection. They wanted a couple of stalls that were all about local culinary exceptionalism, so we hit on the idea of the Wild Peacock CheesePOD.
Many of the producers we work with have won multiple international cheese awards, including some from the World Cheese Awards based in France. Bringing home gold medals from the ‘international home of cheese’ reflects well on both the dairy industry, and crafters in the South Africa. These and other exceptional cheeses will be on display in our CheesePOD Makers Landing.
Apart from showcasing a high quality, yet little-known segment of the South African food scene, the CheesePOD provides an even better opportunity for us. With a physical store, we will be able to meet our customers. And we can’t wait for the opportunity to taste cheese together. We want to be able to discuss and assess our product with people who love dairy produce as much as we do. Feedback from tastings, and customers who come back to visit and explore new varieties is vital for the sustained, quality growth of our curated selection.
We can also present the cheeses shoulder-to-shoulder with the people who make them. Producers like Ciao Ciao, the authentic Italian cheesemakers from Hout Bay have already expressed interest. We will be stocking their fresh burrata and award-winning buffalo milk mozzarella.
Headed up by Elodye Davids, CheesePOD by Wild Peacock opens in early December at Makers Landing at the newly built V&A Waterfront cruise liner terminal. Tastings and meet-the-maker events will be announced on our social media channels.
