In my years with Deli Market News, one thing has become quite clear: Cheese boards are the ultimate playgrounds for entertainers. With this in mind, CHEVOO has been working extensively with cheese board makers across the country to help promote the brand’s presence at Kroger banner stores. I got in touch with Pierre Guérin, President and Co-Owner, to discuss.
“Our objective was to focus on CHEVOO’s two flavors in Kroger stores: Urfa Chili & Lemon and Herbes de Provence. For our giveaway component, however, our grand prizes included all five CHEVOO flavors,” Pierre began telling me. “We wanted to include the Kroger stores our products are in as much as possible, so we asked board makers to film themselves shopping at their favorite Kroger store for their boards.”
One of the most exciting examples, he explained, was at the Ralph’s location in LA’s Studio City, where the Murray’s Cheese team collaborated with Lauren Delp of @silverlakesocialite—who has been the board maker behind the very talked-about charcuterie boards at the Grammy’s for two years in a row.
Other cheese board makers that CHEVOO partnered with include:
CHEVOO’s first in-person class was held at a Mariano’s store in downtown Chicago with Alisha Norris Jones. The class was invite-only for Chicago influencers and was very well attended.
“Alisha brought some of her own star power as a member of Culture Cheese's 2024 'Hot 20’ list, as well as her very unique approach to board-building. She’s strongly influenced by the season and what she’s feeling at the moment,” Pierre continued. “Her class was not about salami rivers or roses, but rather giving each participant the liberty to play with the items provided (CHEVOO products, different cheeses, crackers, and other accompaniments) to create a very individual board.”
The second class was also a private event for influencers, held in a boutique floral shop in Venice, CA, with Emmy Rener—also a member of Culture Mag’s Hot List.
“As you can imagine, this was a totally different vibe. This class was what I’d call more classic, with making prosciutto ribbons and actually following along as Emmy gave instructions/suggestions. Everyone at this well-attended event raved about how much fun it was and how great it is to see CHEVOO back in stores in CA where the product originated nearly 10 years ago,” Pierre added.
Some of the other board makers connected with consumers by hosting their own board-building classes in which CHEVOO participated. Many of them also offered a giveaway, which included CHEVOO products, merch, and other goodies.
“In addition to a grand prize winner, coupons were given as a runner-up prize to many other participants,” Pierre said. “A couple of board makers even offered a local prize of one of their boards to anyone living near their location. This was a great means to reach both the makers’ local and national audiences.”
The lifestyle and food influencers—some with over 1 million followers on Instagram—helped spread the “curd word” by sharing the very photogenic boards they built during the class they attended. For those who were at the Venice event, the ambiance also helped create a lot of postings, I learned.
“This launch campaign has helped us get cheese lovers into Kroger and other stores to discover CHEVOO, but the best tool has been—and still is—the great work done at store level by the Murray’s cheesemongers showcasing and sampling CHEVOO throughout the holiday period,” Pierre concluded.
Be sure to check out the brand on Instagram @CHEVOOLIFE and follow along to discover all these events and more.
