Gourmet Imports - wholesale importer and distributor of cheese, foie gras, baking and pastry products, truffles, specialty meats, spices and more

PEOPLE.

We're in this for the people: the makers behind the product, the chef behind the dish, the mongers behind the counter, and our team behind it all. We use the word "partner" to describe the makers we represent because our success is theirs, and vice versa. The same is true for the businesses we serve, from restaurants, to retail shops, to wineries, bakeries, coffee shops and more, our clients all share a dedication to quality products and a belief that ingredients matter.

PASSION.

We believe that true, craft foods are at a perilous crossroad. The costs, challenges, and complexity of making and selling these rare artisan goods is reaching a tipping point. Craft production, sales, and distribution are being lost, consolidated and/or acquired by a few large corporations. Craft makers are finding it increasingly difficult to compete and eek out even small profits. At Gourmet Imports, all of our work is centered around supporting these valuable makers.

PRODUCT.

We carry over 400 thoughtfully curated cheeses and over 1000 other specialty items from across the United States and around the globe. Working with independent, traditional, and artisanal producers is central to our mission. The products we sell represent years of work for our makers, and often decades – or even centuries – of tradition. We think of ourselves as their spokespeople, here to remind you why these products are special and why their stories deserve to be told.

Uplands Cheese

Andy Hatch only makes two cheeses. From May to October, when Uplands’ closed herd is out on fresh pasture, rotating through 300 acres of lush forage, Andy makes Pleasant Ridge Reserve. Pleasant Ridge Reserve is the most awarded American cheese in production, winning Best in Show at the American Cheese Society conference a record three times.

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Parish Hill Creamery

Owners Peter Dixon and Rachel Fritz Schaal pride themselves on doing things "the most difficult way [they] can figure." This is cheesemaking at its purest and most elemental. The cheeses are a full expression of raw milk and are only made when the cows are out on unseeded, rotationally grazed pastures.

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Blakesville Creamery

Blakesville is a woman owned and operated creamery in Port Washington, Wisconsin. Launched in the summer of 2020, veteran cheesemaker Veronica Pedraza is making amazing farmstead cheese with milk from Blakesville’s own herd of Saanen-mix goats. While goat’s milk cheeses are the primary focus, Veronica designed the creamery with the capacity to handle sheep's milk as well.

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Neal’s Yard Dairy

For many years, we refused to sell English cheese. Sadly, the vast majority of the British cheese available to us was industrial and frankly pretty terrible. Neal’s Yard’s mission, “to improve British and Irish farmhouse cheese," filled that void and fundamentally changed the cheese landscape.

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Essex St. Cheese

Founded in New York City in 2006, Daphne Zepos' original vision was to sell a single cheese in its best possible condition: Comté. Not satisfied to simply accept cheese through standard distribution channels, Daphne insisted on selecting the cheese herself, generating a sense-connection between the affineur, the cheesemonger and the end customer.

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Shepherd’s Way

Jodi Ohlsen Read and her husband Steven Read did not grow up on farms, but in 1995 they dove in head first and started a sheep dairy. They made their first sheep’s milk cheese in 1998 and quickly began winning awards and a following.

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Sturia Caviar

Sturia Caviar was established near Bordeaux, France in the 1990s. They were pioneers for sturgeon farming in France, revolutionizing the industry, but what makes them stand out most today is their unique commitment to ecological balance. Sturia believes that the health and quality of the water and soil, and the well-being of the fish, are inextricably linked to the quality and flavor of caviar.

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Acetaia San Giacomo

Andrea Bezzecchi, owner of Acetaia San Giacomo, is the man behind some of the most exceptional vinegars on the planet. In Andrea’s region of Italy, it is common for families to have a “batteria” (set of barrels) in their homes. These barrels are used to make small amounts of balsamic vinegar, mostly for personal use, or to give as gifts (historically, they were often part of the wedding dowry).

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Olympia Provisions

Salumist Elias Cairo grew up first generation Greek-American with a father who made charcuterie at home. Doing things the old-fashioned way was commonplace. Elias later journeyed to Europe to apprentice in the kitchens of masters. It was there that he rediscovered the art of curing meat and found inspiration in the markets and mountain towns of the old world.

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About Gourmet Imports

Gourmet Imports was founded by Nicole Grandjean in 1989. Born in France's Loire Valley, she began her wholesale specialty food business "Nicole's Gourmet Foods" with the goal of providing customers curated, quality goods and personal service. She sought to bridge the gap between Producer and Chef. In the early days, the warehouse was her garage, the office was her dining room, and the sole delivery vehicle was a wood-paneled 1979 Plymouth station wagon. Nicole delivered all the orders herself in the morning; afternoons were dedicated to sales. Her hard work and dedication resulted in a loyal following of culinary professionals, many of whom are still customers today.

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