Cheese Shops We Love: Fairfield & Greenwich Cheese Company

Location

2090 Post Rd, Fairfield, CT 06824

Fairfield Cheese staff Laura Downey, Matthew Rose, Chris Palumbo photo credit New England Food and Farm

Knowledgeable Staff and a Curated Selection of Cheese

Cheesemonger Laura Downey opened Fairfield Cheese Company in 2009 after noticing the community lacked a proper cheese shop. With an appreciation for artisan cheese, Downey wanted to bring a cut to order concept that would help differentiate her from others in the area.

Good customer service and proper education has also been important to Downey when it came to opening the store. “We realized in order to sell artisan and farmstead cheeses, we would need to educate ourselves and pass that education on to our customers,” said Downey. “We found most people in the United States don’t really understand cheese and what makes artisan cheese different from industrial cheese, so we set out to educate from the beginning.”

Downey and her team have done this in many ways, including offering classes to the public at its cheese school. Customers can learn anything from pairings to cheesemaking, while mingling with cheesemongers and other professionals certified in cheese.

The cheese shop has changed a lot over the years. Once a space that only offered 15 cheeses in its small case, now it has roughly 65 cheeses to choose from, closer to 80 during the holidays, and a much larger case to go with it. In 2014, a second location opened in Greenwich, Connecticut with a similar set up and cheese selections. Then in 2017, the Cheesemonger Box launched, which is the company’s e-commerce store that brings the shop’s cut to order cheeses to customers worldwide via subscriptions and curated collections.

The mission behind this shop has always been to provide quality artisan cheese to its customers and doing so by continuing to offer cut to order service. “Cut to order is at the heart of what we do,” said Downey. “We have stuck to what we set out to do, which was to sell great cheese.”

The Store

Tucked away in a small plaza in Fairfield, Connecticut, you’ll find this bright and airy cheese shop that is surprisingly spacious. Step inside, and you’ll instantly see the large glass case that holds the many varieties of cheeses. Shelves are lined throughout the store with various accompaniments, such as jams, fried fruit, crackers, and nuts. There is also an olive bar with a vast selection to choose from. It’s cozy and clean, with everything put in its place for easy finding.

Top-Selling Cheeses

Alpha Tolman

This raw cow’s milk cheese from Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro, Vermont is an easy favorite among the customers in the shop. Aged for roughly 8-12 months, this cheese is firm and dense and exceptionally pleasing. “People love the smooth texture,” according to Downey. “And the rich, nutty flavors.”

Kirkham’s Lancashire

Another popular raw cow’s milk cheese, Lancashire comes from England and uses its own Holstein Friesian cows to make it. With a lemony flavor and crumbly texture, it’s no wonder customers reach for it time and time again. “Lancashire is easy to love,” says Downey. “It’s satisfying when you are hungry.”

Lindeline

Downey says just about any cheese from Blakesville Creamery is a best seller, including the Linedeline. Even though this goat dairy farm is relevantly new in Port Washington, Wisconsin, it knows what it’s doing with this light ash-coated goat’s milk cheese. Aged for 2 months, this cheese has a super soft texture that is rich in flavors (think: a hint of citrus and truffle). “We can’t keep Blakesville Creamery in the case,” said Downey.

Also look for

Fairfield Cheese Company is all about the cheese, but let’s not forget its equally impressive charcuterie. With cured meats from Italy and Spain, there is a lot of quality here, including salami, ham, sausage, and prosciutto. You can even choose to have a small, medium, or large charcuterie platter made for a special gathering that’s the ideal pairing to go with the cheese.