Since 2010, passersby have found themselves enticed into both George Mewes’ artisan cheese shops by trays laden with free samples from unctuous and oozing Gorgonzola Dolce to plump Gordal olives.
Once inside, a guaranteed warm welcome is offset by a state-of-the-art system which refrigerates the whole shop floor, keeping their overflowing produce counters at their perfect temperature and serving as an instant indication that the operation is run by a crew who truly knows their stuff.
Alongside a crack team with the ability to answer next to any query from the cheddar curious and brie believers, the main man himself has been known to regularly step behind the counter at both Byres Road and Dean Park Street, relishing the chance to chat with customers.
READ MORE: 'Time is right to pass over reins': Founder to sell artisan cheese shops
A former chef of 25 years, Mewes’ incredible knowledge and passion for the products he stocks are never more evident than in his comprehensive weekly newsletters inviting everyone from part-time foodies to potential suppliers to gain an insight into the wonderful world of cheese.
To do so, the award-winning cheesemonger has worked closely with Hervé Mons, a leading French affineur, and Neal’s Yard Dairy of London.
And whether it’s a blue-tinged Colston Bassett Stilton, a Gouda-style Coolea created by a Dutch couple who settled in West Cork in the late 70s, or a ripe ‘Minger’ with a pungent aroma from Highland Fine Cheeses near Tain, he has tirelessly used his email updates to champion small scale producers.
“I love my job” he proudly exclaimed in one particularly enthusiastic post detailing a trip to London to meet with suppliers from Spain and France.
Facing a formidable challenge for the food and drink industry during covid lockdowns, Mewes like many others was forced to allow just one customer to enter his premises at a time but chose to remain open.
Recognising that cheese makers around the country would also be struggling, he reportedly slashed the in-store prices of products from producers who were at risk of going out of business in an effort to maximise their sales and avoid wasted stock.
Speaking with Inspirational Cheese Retailers, he said: “We helped shift a lot of the volume of farmhouse cheeses to keep everyone in business.
“The last thing we want is any British farmhouse cheese to go out of business.
“The British farmhouse cheese that we have is amazing, and [so is] the quality of cheeses that come through.
"We want to keep that going.”
READ MORE: Scottish distiller announces first whisky release
Now, both Glasgow and Edinburgh are preparing to bid farewell to a stalwart of the country’s food and drink scene after Mr Mewes today announced plans for the sale of his business.
After revealing that he believes "the time is right to pass over the reins to a new owner who can build on the current success", we’re wishing all the best to the man who has helped people across Scotland level up their cheese boards for over a decade with the hopes that a worthy successor will carry on his dairy driven legacy.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here