Welcome to the blog of the Rehoboth Beach Cheese Company. Pull up a bar stool and experience our Counter Culture!

I'm Andy Meddick, Owner and President of the Rehoboth Beach Cheese Company. In 2005, I left my corporate I.T. job in Washington DC, to relocate with my spouse's business to the DE beaches. What to do now we live in a state where chicken houses can often outnumber human? Faced with a four hour round trip to the closest decent food market, I opened my first store, Good For You Market, a full service grocery store, focusing on organic, natural, and gourmet foods. In the worst economy since the 1930s, I won Best of Delaware awards three years running. After four years, I decided to simplify the business, re-aligning to focus on what we did best. The result is the Rehoboth Beach Cheese Company. We sell (retail and wholesale) artisan/farmstead cheeses, charcuterie, organic produce,and other specialty foods such as spices and seasonings. We also teach cheese classes, cater, sell online, and consult with other businesses to build their cheese programs.

I've learned much since starting out. For example, staffing was a steep learning curve, and I discovered that a savvy sales and marketing professional lay dormant in an I.T. geek! Systems analysis, business analysis, database design and development, data architecture, web design, specialty cheeses and foods, organic farming, catering, and cooking. What do all these threads have in common? Curiosity! It begets technique, which in turn begets better solutions to commond needs. Why complain about lack of choice, if you're not willing to offer an alternative? Our move, and my business development has taught me to participate in life, and to be ever curious! Enjoy!

Oct 27, 2010

Wednesday, October 27, 2010  Rehoboth Beach Cheese Company  4 comments

Good For You Market is now closed at our Route 9 location in Lewes, DE!

Thank you for four award-winning years! With your support and your business, we won Best of Delaware three times and became only the second of two Delaware-based artisan cheese retailers to be a member of The American Cheese Society (the other is way upstate). Not too shabby for a former Corporate IT guy turned specialty foods retailer!

At this point I am pretty certain our Route 9 building and farm are leased. I'm very excited about our tenant. However I will not leak the news - they have a really cool concept and it's their spotlight not mine.

Why did I decide to close Good For You Market instead of relocating as originally planned? Was business not good? Business was great! After four years, it was time for a change. I decided to close so we could re-tool, take the Best of The Best (of Delaware!), simplify the business concept and focus on the lines of business I've learnt to excel at.

While we've been looking for a new location on Route 1 southbound for my new concept specialty foods store, an opportunity arose for me to work with Mary Murphy of Hamel's Gourmet Market, Rehoboth. For those whom do not know Mary and her lovely store on Rehoboth Avenue, opposite Grove Park, then why not? You're missing out on a local treasure of great food and phenomenal customer service under Mary's leadership. Mary brings many years of hospitality industry executive management experience to her Hamel's business. We share a similar corporate America background, a no-nonsense passion for authentic foods, a common business philosophy and high standards of customer service.

So, while I still entertain a possible Route 1 south location, I could not pass by the opportunity to team with Mary. The synchronicities between our businesses were too many to let this go. Here is our press release announcing our new team.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Yum Comes To Town!

Hamel's Gourmet Market, Rehoboth Beach, DE - October 26, 2010 - Andy Meddick, former Owner of three-time Best Of Delaware award winning Good For You Market, Lewes, DE, will manage Hamel's Gourmet Market for the winter. Andy will oversee a winter menu of Hamel's popular baked goods and prepared foods to go at Hamel's Rehoboth Avenue store - original site of the historic MacQuay's Market. Andy will bring with him the best of The Best of Good For You Market's specialty food lines sold under his "We Know Yum!" brand. Yum includes Andy's popular artisan cheeses, growing charcuterie and high end deli, organic produce, bulk spices and dried goods, fresh prepared organic juices, smoothies, and coffee, special events, educational classes, and catering. "This is a natural synchronicity between two local foodie entrepreneurs. I am proud that Hamel's would consider me to operate their gourmet food market. Together we continue to demonstrate that we do not have to sacrifice choice, customer service, or value when we relocate, or recreate at the Delaware Beaches. We Know Yum and we're proud and excited to be continuing Yum with the talented team at Hamel's Gourmet Market."

Contact:

Andy Meddick
Hamel's Gourmet Market,
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971(302) 381-6182 http://www.weknowyum.com

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