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One of the UK’s largest independent cheese businesses finds success with exporting to the US, Australia and Hong Kong
From long-life and waxed cheeses to truckles and ready-assembled Christmas selections, there isn’t much about the £3.5 billion UK cheese market that George Paul, 73, director and owner of Bradburys Cheese, doesn’t already know.
When it comes to exporting, however, he admits that having come late to the party, he has “all the passion and zeal of the true convert”.
Eight years since he signed his first international deal, exports account for around nine per cent of the firm’s £70 million turnover and the list of territories he trades with – including the US, Canada, Dubai, Australia, Hong Kong and Europe – currently stands at 25.
“Start by realising that exporting is a strategic direction rather than a side issue and it will take a while to make it work,” he says.