You'll be acknowledging them with exclusive, gourmet cheeses from all over the world! Your recipients might receive a Gaperon, which originated in France during the 14th Century, Ruth Kirkham's authentic Lancashire, and an Italian Taleggio matured in the caves of Valsassina... all in one shipment!

The element of surprise in our i-gifts™ program presents a perfect opportunity to follow up with a phone call, and the accompanying newsletters not only substantiate the value of the rewards, they also provide a way to open the conversation naturally.

What do recipient's receive in each shipment?
They'll get three different, internationally selected, half-pound cheeses that would be appreciated by any gourmand! The difference between our featured cheeses and typical, factory-made cheeses is remarkable and obvious, even to an untrained palate. Your recipients will discover an enormous range of cheese tastes, aromas, and textures. Each shipment also includes our comprehensive, four-page newsletter so that they'll be able to read all about the cheeses they've enjoyed, how they were made, and the farmhouses that crafted them. Click here to see examples of some of the specialty cheeses we have recently shipped:

How much does it cost?
For current pricing information, please contact your local Authorized i-gifts Representative.

How are the cheeses selected?
Our selection process is the foundation of our Specialty Cheese line. We retain the services Zingerman's®, which has been selling artisanal cheese since 1982 and which was the first shop to bring many hard-to-find cheeses to the U.S. Zingerman's® has a "cheese cave" (controlled temperature, light, humidity), where our cheeses are tended, hand-cut, and wrapped in special papers to allow them to breath. They look for raw milk and farmhouse cheeses that you wouldn't commonly find and for extraordinary interpretations of more common cheeses and then buy each cheese from its place of origin ...They'll look for Brie from the IL de Re, north of Paris, France, not from Wisconsin!

How are "Artisanal Cheeses" different from other cheeses?
A simple cheese like cheddar is a good example. One of our favorite cheddars is made by hand on a farm in England. The cheesemaker has 45 cows, and he knows each one by name! He makes about 12 cheeses each day, which are clothbound and matured in a cellar that has a controlled temperature and humidity. Compare that to industrial cheddar, which is made in a factory that produces tons of cheddar in big vats every day. Then it's sealed in plastic and put in a very cold refrigerator... that's why it's rubbery! If cheese stays wrapped in plastic for too long, it gets bitter.

Even so-called "gourmet" shops precut their cheese. We're different. One day prior to shipping, Zingerman's® hand-cuts our cheeses from their original wheels or blocks. For Antique Emmentaler, that means breaking apart 200-pound rounds that are nearly 4 feet in diameter! Every piece has a slightly different shape and may taste a little different from one cut from a different part of the wheel. It's quite labor intensive, but that's what's required when you deal with the real thing. Your recipients will appreciate the effort when they discover the unmatched taste of cheese cut from the "living" wheel.

What styles of cheeses do you send?
As with each i-gifts™ line, our focus has always been on offering quality, freshness, and variety. Some of the cheeses we have featured this year include Caerphilly (from Wales), Swiss Vacherin Mont d'Or, Italian Ubriaco, Roquefort (from Roquefort-sur-Soulzon), King Island's "Roaring Forties" Blue Cheese (from an island just off the coast of Australia), Tetilla (from Galacia, Spain), and Reblochon (from the Alps). Click here to see examples of some of the specialty cheeses we have recently shipped:

What is the newsletter all about?
Each Specialty Cheese shipment includes our four-page newsletter, which contains information on the featured cheeses. Your recipients will learn how each cheese was made, its history and associated traditions, what makes it special, and what to look for when tasting each cheese.

The newsletter also includes recipes, suggested ways to serve the cheeses, and fascinating stories about both the cheesemakers and the regions where their cheeses are made. Click here to see a sample newsletter:

Do you send a Gift Announcement to each recipient?
Absolutely. We offer several solutions. Custom gift announcements may be generated and either emailed on a pre specified date or printed from this web site. Printed Gift Announcements can then be mailed by us to your gift recipient before the first shipment arrives, or we can send them directly to you if you prefer to deliver them personally yourself.