DIERBERGS SHOWCASES WISCONSIN CHEESE AT GRAND OPENING

ROSEANNE HARPER

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. - Wisconsin cheese took the spotlight - and made cash registers ring - at the grand opening of Dierbergs' newest store.

A cheese sculpture, a guess-the-weight contest that involved giant rounds of Wisconsin cheddar and provolone, product samplings and a visit by an artisan cheesemaker created excitement and helped kick up sales, officials said.

"In the couple of weeks following opening day, we sold 3,000 pounds of Wisconsin cheese and cheese spreads at that one store," said David Calandro, director of food service, which includes deli, meat, seafood and central kitchen operations at the 22-store chain.

A hand-carved cheddar sculpture featuring the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board's logo, Dierbergs' name and baby birds in a nest - a nod to spring - were showcased in the store's specialty cheese case. The sculpture was set on top of a mammoth 75-pound round of cheddar, and both attracted lots of attention, officials told SN. Four gift cards to the store were awarded to customers who came the closest to guessing the correct weight of the big cheddar and a 65-pound hunk of provolone.

"All the winners came within a pound of the correct weight with their guesses," Calandro said.

The retailer opened the 77,000-square-foot store in the fastest-growing area of St. Louis, in a middle-income residential neighborhood west of downtown that includes a handful of small businesses.

During opening week, Wisconsin cheesemaker Bill Hanson demonstrated the state's cheeses, and talked to customers about his company's operation where he makes Colby longhorn and Jackby longhorn, a combination of Colby and Monterey Jack. During the store's opening weeks, those cheeses, along with other varieties, were sampled every day at the specialty cheese case where a television monitor showed operations at a Wisconsin cheese manufacturing plant.

Dierbergs has carried cheeses from Wisconsin for years and promotes them regularly, Calandro said. Even cheddar carvings, such as this recent one crafted by cheese sculptor Sarah Kaufmann, have been featured at earlier store openings and seasonal celebrations at Dierbergs. (When she's not sculpting cheese, Kaufmann works as director of creative services at Fairfield, Ohio-based Jungle Jim's.)

"The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board has been an outstanding organization to partner with over the years," Calandro said. "They supply our stores with constant support, promotional marketing programs, merchandising materials and educational seminars for our managers and associates."