New look for Cheshire cheesemaker

The Cheshire Cheese Company has refreshed its branding as the Macclesfield-founded cheesemakers looks to re-enter European markets.

The modern look and feel of the Cheshire Cheese Company’s new packaging and website has been developed to support its ambitious future expansion plans. A return to European markets in a post-Brexit climate follows the cheesemaker’s 2022 acquisition by Nantwich-based Joseph Heler, which now holds a majority stake in the business.

Stockport-based design agency, Ashcroft Creative, won the contract for the rebrand following a competitive three-way pitch. The business has updated the branding for the firm, as well as bringing it to life via a new website.

Darren Ashcroft, managing director, at the agency, explained:

“The rebranding process of the Cheshire Cheese Company and its iconic cat mascot has been a rewarding experience for our design team at Ashcroft Creative. The brief was to freshen up the look and feel of the brand to make it more playful and lean into the Cheshire Cheese Company’s slogan – ‘the cheese that makes you grin’, imparting a fun yet premium feel.

“We animated the Cheshire Cat to bring it to life and made it a prominent feature so that the award-winning products are even more recognisable to fans and soon-to-be fans of the delicious range. We didn’t want to disrupt the main colour scheme, so instead updated the colour ways on the labels into a more cohesive look and feel. The names of the cheeses have all been updated too, while the labels now bare plenty of subtle references to the cat motif. I’d like to thank the Cheshire Cheese team for their support on this project, for their professionalism, passion and friendly approach – it has been a pleasure.”

Simon Spurrell, managing director of the Cheshire Cheese Company, added:

“As a small and premium cheese producer, we’re extremely selective about who we work with. Darren and his team really stood out in terms of their understanding of the brand’s heritage and future goals, as well as the playfulness we like to inject into things. Eating our cheese is an absolute delight, and we wanted to champion that through every single touch point with the consumer.”

The Cheshire Cheese Company’s range includes Cheddar, Red Leicester and Cheshire Cheese in brightly coloured waxed truckles, as well as gift hampers (pictured above) and CCC branded crackers and chutneys. In additional to the fresh new look, products each bear a new, snappier name, such as Shamrock (Irish whiskey and stem ginger cheddar), Masala (Red Leicester with mango chutney and nigella seeds) and Hunter (cheddar with truffle and cracked black pepper).