Lockdown success The Cheesy Living Co. set to open a permanent site in Leeds

4th January 2022

Leeds is full of lockdown success stories, but the ever-humble Cheesy Living Co. have had a whirlwind year like no other.

The Cheesy Living Co. has made a considerable stamp on the Leeds foodie scene after opening less than a year ago. Whether you met Jake and Soph at the Corn Exchange or whilst visiting the Savvy Baker, the pop-up cheese and charcuterie specialists have been cooking up quite a storm.

The Cheesy Living Co. is the small independent bringing a whole world of cheese to Leeds that you need to know about. You can find them around Leeds, but you can also grab all things cheese and charcuterie online.

The company create bespoke boxes of cheese, cured meats and accompaniments, as well as selling limited edition stock such as Spanish cheese, sweet rocky road salami and more.

The team of two: Jake Fischer, the ‘big cheese’ and Soph Branowsky, Creative Director, set out to take on the cheese scene after finding a gap on the market for locally sourced products during lockdown.

Founder Jake told us that: “Working in hospitality, when covid restrictions hit hard for the second time we decided that the time was right (and for our own sanity) to pursue a passion and love for all things cheese & charcuterie.

“At first the idea was simply to bring together the best produce out there and to make it more accessible for people to enjoy, but we quickly found that quality of things being made here in the U.K. was just incredible! We thought why is this stuff not easier to get hold of?! And that’s when we decided to focus on British and locally sourced products.”

Prior to this Jake was managing a cocktail and wine bar in Leeds city centre for four years, but had held different positions across the hospitality sector for over twelve years.

Since swapping the bar for business, the duo told us that the biggest lesson they learnt is “most importantly to take every opportunity that’s thrown at you and give it a go. You never really know what’s going to work until you try”.

Living by their own mantra, the company have secured 1500 followers on Instagram and grown a firm fan basis across Leeds city centre and beyond.

The duo are hoping to secure their first proper site where they can work from on a permanent basis. The pair have “found a location that provides an exciting opportunity for us to take the next step with the business”.

Hoping to open their doors doors in spring 2022, located in Leeds city centre, we know that we’re not the only ones excited about this next step for the Cheesy Living Co.

Reflecting on the past year, we asked the ‘big cheese’ himself what it’s like to take on a new venture in lockdown and what’s the best thing to come out of their career swap.

“It’s probably been getting to share what we love with so many people. Considering we only really launched 7 months ago we’ve a long way in that time.

“Having a good product is one part of it of course, but the rest is down to the incredible support we’ve had from family, friends and all of our customers… We have a lot of ambition and seeing that start to become a reality is such an incredible feeling.

“2021 has been such a tough year for so many people, so to be able to do what we’re passionate about on a daily basis is such a humbling feeling.”

To get your cheese and charcuterie fix, you can visit the Cheesy Living Co’s Instagram page to follow their journey to an official, permanent space and find out where the company will be popping up in the meantime too. Alternatively, to take their charcuterie boards for a taste test- head over to their website.

Feature Image- The Cheesy Living Co