Newham's big cheese
Tuesday 25th November, 2025
If you're looking for a mouthwatering cheeseboard to take pride of place on your Christmas table, look no further than Newham Industrial Estate, which welcomed the Greet Cheese Delivery Co to its stable in May this year.
At the helm is Truronian James Greet, who has spent 20 years working with the stinky stuff. Lockdown marked a turning point for James when he was made redundant after 14 years of delivering cheese around Cornwall.
“I was sitting at home wondering what to do, with a wife and three young boys to provide for,” he recalls. “I was about to take another job when a chef I knew well said he would support me if I started my own cheese business.”
James made his first delivery on the August bank holiday of 2020; within three months, he had 44 customers. Today, his fleet of five vans delivers to 75 clients, a mix of farm shops, pubs, hotels, restaurants, functions and private customers around Cornwall. Prestigious include Great Cornish Food, The Alverton, Heligan and St Michael’s Hotel.
James keeps around 350 cheeses to hand. While wider UK and foreign cheeses are sourced through suppliers, he visits local cheesemakers in person on a weekly basis to ensure customers have the freshest produce possible.
His motto: “Be the best you can be, and buy the best you can. I strive to maintain a standard of service – one-to-one relationships have played a massive role in my success.”
It’s a family affair, with all hands on deck: wife Lydia is co-owner, with mum Erica helping with orders, uncle Pete on deliveries and printer dad Dave handling stationery and labels, and sons Henry (17), Alfie (15) and Teddy (eight) mucking in: “Teddy is the boss.”
The business started life at home in a garage conversion, with a cold room and two vans in the drive. Life in Newham is a step up. “It’s under cover and more efficient, with more fridge space and parking. There’s somewhere for customers to come and see us - we’re hoping to run events like cheese and wine evenings.”
Unsurprisingly, Christmas is one of the busiest times of the Greet year. Throughout December, the team will work from 6am to 10pm, pausing for Christmas and Boxing days before getting back on the treadmill for New Year orders.
As well as old standards like Stilton and Cornish Yarg, look out for Cranbrie, a cranberry-infused brie-style cheese made by the Cornish Cheese Co exclusively for the Greet Cheese Delivery Co, only in December.
Moving to Newham has enabled James to bring back the popular Christmas boxes featuring four cheeses and a jar of home-made chutney. He anticipates 500 will fly out of the vans, both as corporate gifts and individual orders.
“It’s a proper business now,” he says, proudly. “Anyone seeing us working in our back garden would think we were mad. Newham has helped us to grow – it's perfect for us.”