Since opening The Tipperary Bog Fine Cheese and Gourmet Shop in 2010, owner Nadine Evans has provided Brantford residents with a chance to enjoy an array of cheeses.
Evans, who spent many years working overseas in marketing, developed a love of cheese while living in the United Kingdom.
“Because I lived in England for 15 years, and then I also lived in France for a couple years. I guess you could say that I found my love for it there, because they literally would have markets [and] they would have big cheese busses that would come in and just drop their windows open and order it right there,” explained Evans.
In 2004, she returned back to Brantford and realized there was a need for a cheese shop in the area.
“I kept going out of town to get fine cheese…because we didn’t have any type of these shops in Brantford to speak of…I’m sure you could pick up a Stilton or [another variety], but you couldn’t find, for example, a Triple Cream or a Gray Owl or anything like that. So, I saw that there was a gap in the market here,” she recalled. “Just for fun I made a business plan [and] I asked my friend, Brian [Witteveen] from Strodes [BBQ & Deli] for his opinion on some of the equipment I needed. He actually gave me my first fridge…it was a deli fridge which sped up the process from the business plan to actual conception. And in a few months [in 2010], I would open up the shop [at its original location] on Brant Ave.”
And when it was time to choose the name for the business, Evans’ decided to go with something very original.
“I went in with a whole bunch of cutesy names like ‘Say Cheese…’ and my lawyer recommended that I pick something nobody else is going to have. I did some research [and] looked up interesting facts about cheese,” said Evans. “I found out that the oldest piece of cheese was found in a ‘bog’, because that’s where they would preserve their cheeses. I think it was 1,400 years old, and it was still edible!”
However, Evans would quickly solidify her business acumen by being patient and nurturing the shop’s steady growth.
“There was so much that I didn’t know [and] I had to learn it fast [which was] really quite exciting and fun because I love the challenge. My customers helped me find out what their favorite cheeses were [and] they’d always come back from somewhere to ask me about cheeses, which I would try to get,” Evans explained. “[Also,] I didn’t take out any loans for the business. So, I’ve been growing it incrementally every year since I opened, and I found one of the challenges is finding the right avenue to help the business grow. There have been some heartbreaks along the way, but one of the highlights would have to be the positive reception that I have received here in Brantford during the whole process.”
Evans also discovered that many people in the community had a similar experience and were wanting something different.
“I learned a lot of people were like me…who had moved away and were coming back home to Brantford. They too had traveled and lived elsewhere including big cities where they had easy access to many types of foods and cheeses. And so, they were excited…to have a cheese shop like mine in the area…I also found that there were no demographics when it comes to cheese,” she noted. “I could have somebody [who would] maybe on a fixed income, but really loved cheese, [and] would come in and spend a lot of money on what they liked. And then I could have somebody from a higher income who would come in and buy a smaller piece of cheese for their needs.”
One of the key elements to the shop’s success has been Evans’ desire to stock a diverse mix of cheeses including local ones while building strong relationships along the way.
“I knew Shep [Ysselstein] of Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese before I started my business. We ended up at the same grocery show [and] he was there before he had actually gotten up to production with his cheese. He’s very well-known now and he’s won two Grand Prix awards. But back then, he was just getting up to the production level, and I was just looking around to start my store….that’s a really great relationship that I just absolutely love having with them,” she reflected. “There are also many other good cheese makers in Ontario like Utter Way Cheese and Mountainoak Cheese…I’ve had the privilege of going out to their farms and checking out their products. But I always tell people if they are outside town, or especially around the Port Dover area, to stop in at The Dover Cheese Shop. The owner [Jenny Ball] is awesome [and] an amazing person.”
However, through the years, Evan has learned a lot from her customers especially when it comes to offering different cheeses.
“You constantly have to evolve [and] you cannot stay stagnant. You can’t carry a Smoked Applewood, for example, because everybody loves it. I learned pretty darn quickly that I have to have a constant rotation of cheeses. You can have your staples, but you should always be rotating new cheeses in and out especially when it comes to seasonal cheeses,” she recounted. “I learned that you can’t necessarily get all the cheese in, all the time because of the time of year it was [as] different milks would be used. So, if it was springtime…the cows would eat the first grass of the season…which would be the first milking of the season, and the first cheese of the season. And there’s certain cheeses you learn when they’re coming out, because they’re only available for certain times.”
Nevertheless, Evans has continued to enjoy serving the community.
“Brantford is the friendliest community you’ll ever experience. And I’ve lived everywhere. But I found that everybody in Brantford will always talk to you [and] it doesn’t matter if you know them or not…I am happy that I moved back here. Back home,” she said.
