The Wensleydale Creamery, based at Hawes in Wensleydale, in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, is investing in its e-commerce operation to optimise its business for increased direct-to-consumer demand.
The new e-commerce operation will see the brand launch a new website with plans to expand the operations team to facilitate the projected increased demand from UK consumers.
The new website, which showcases the Creamery’s rich cheesemaking heritage and provenance, aims to enhance and streamline the customer experience of buying online, direct from the artisan cheesemaker.
The investment follows recent increased online sales, which accelerated during the pandemic. Capitalising on the online food-buying trend, the Creamery is perfectly positioned to deliver direct to the increased number of consumers searching online for authentic food and all year-round gifting options.
The Creamery already sells directly to many loyal fans through its Online Deli, with freshly cut handcrafted cheese and a range of locally sourced artisan accompaniments, deli boxes and luxury hampers and gifts. The business has generated a 145% sales increase vs pre-pandemic levels and has further ambitious targets for the forthcoming year.
Sandra Bell, Marketing Manager at the Wensleydale Creamery, commented: “We’d identified the direct-to-consumer route as an opportunity for our business, and with the notable rise in online food sales activity over the past two years, we’ve been able to test our model to support our investment and growth plans. We’re now in a great position to expand our e-commerce offering and services and provide an enhanced online consumer experience to cater to the increasing customer demand.
“Our new website will make the shopping experience even smoother, allowing us to showcase our handcrafted cheese and artisan produce, and develop new ranges, not only for key calendar occasions but also all-year-round gifting for cheese lovers across the UK.”
