Cheese Board Sets: Do You Really Need All Those Accessories?
More accessories don’t always make a better cheese board set. A manufacturer’s view on serving space, useful tools, storage, and the cost of adding extra pieces.
Cheese Board Sets: Do You Really Need All Those Accessories?
We’ve had quite a few inquiries about cheese board sets recently, so I wanted to share a few thoughts from our side as a manufacturer.
A set can look very complete in its box: knives for different uses, a few small bowls, a slate insert, and storage underneath to keep everything together.
Then you put food on the board.
The cheese takes up more room than expected. The crackers cover the spot where the knives were meant to sit. One of the bowls ends up in the cupboard because there’s nowhere convenient to put it.
These are small frustrations at home. For a retailer ordering several hundred sets, they are worth looking into before placing an order. The accessory count tells you what comes in the box. It tells you much less about how the set feels to use.
Start with the food
Before choosing the accessories, think about what the board needs to hold.
A board for two people sharing cheese after dinner has a different job from one used to entertain guests. A compact set may be enough for the first. For the second, you’ll probably want more serving space and somewhere to keep the tools within reach.
Look beyond the overall dimensions. Handles, grooves, inserts and accessory compartments all affect how much space is actually available for food.
Before approving a sample, put a few pieces of cheese, some bread or crackers, and a little fruit on it. Leave enough room for someone to cut a piece without pushing other food towards the edge.
There’s no need for an elaborate display. An ordinary arrangement tells you more than a photograph of an empty board.
Retail buyers can show this on the product page, too. An overhead photo helps customers understand the layout, while a photo on a real dining table gives them a better sense of scale.
Choose tools people will use
Someone serving both soft and firm cheeses may appreciate a few different tools. Someone putting out cheese that has already been sliced may need very little.
There is no fixed rule that a set must contain three, four or six knives. Each piece should have a clear purpose.
Try the accessories before choosing them. Pick them up, check the handles, and see how easily you can control them. If several tools do much the same thing, consider whether you need all of them.
The same goes for bowls and other extras. A small bowl is useful when it holds something the customer is likely to serve. If it takes up space without adding much to the experience, we can leave it out of the set.
Try the storage with the board in use
Built-in storage is appealing, especially for gifts. Everything has a place, and the person receiving the set doesn’t have to find a drawer for loose tools.
Our cheese board range includes several layouts, from boards with knife storage to round swivel designs. Each gives you a different way to present and store the accessories. This is one reason we recommend handling a sample instead of judging the layout entirely from photos.
Check whether the tools are easy to remove while food is on the board. Pick the set up and put it down again to see whether the parts stay where they should.
Afterwards, put everything away. The set should close easily, without having to rearrange each piece several times.
Think about cleaning as well. At the end of the evening, someone has to wash, dry and put away every item included in the box.
Compare the full cost
The cost of an extra knife goes beyond its purchase price. It needs space in the packaging, protection during shipping, and a check when the set is packed. If it goes missing, there may also be a replacement to arrange.
Before approving a larger set, ask us for two options: the full version you have in mind and a simpler combination.
Compare their packed dimensions, weight, presentation and intended retail price. The larger set may still be the right choice, but you’ll have a clearer idea of what the extra pieces contribute.
A simple trial with the sample can answer many of these questions. Put the food out, serve it, use the tools, then clear everything away. Note anything that feels awkward. Those details are much easier to address before production.
We hope these points are useful when you’re choosing a cheese board range for your shop or wholesale business.
For your next project, share your target retail price, sales channel and preferred board style with NAPOPWIN. We can work through the board, accessories and packaging together, with a clear purpose for each part of the set.
