PEABODY — Since opening its doors on Main Street in August of 2023, New England’s first Black-owned cheese shop, Eat Drink Explore Provisions, has pivoted and leaned into what its customer base wants.
“We had to fall in love with new parts of our business and decide which ones we wanted to keep, which ones we wanted to recycle,” co-owner Daybar Bugler said.
She emphasized that the cheese and charcuterie platters will remain a staple of EDEX Provisions.
“With the charcuterie and the platters, they’ve been amazing because there are so many people who just don’t have time anymore; everyone’s working so much, but they want to create gatherings that are engaging,” Bugler said.
She added, “The platters have been wonderful because they create conversations. We’re not putting cheeses on them that you’re going to find at the typical grocery store. We’ve got distributors and vendors that we work with, so we’re able to curate really thoughtful platters. Those have been really fun to do.”
Bugler said she has received an incredible amount of positive feedback around EDEX’s cheese and charcuterie platters. Some noted that they discovered a new favorite cheese thanks to EDEX while others realized that they may not dislike brie after all — they just need a double- or triple-cream brie rather than a firm brie.
She also noted that EDEX has embraced its Melting Menu, its sandwich menu, and has connected with local breweries to host pop-ups in their spaces. Bugler mentioned partnering with Granite Coast Brewing and Far From The Tree in Salem, among many. She added that EDEX’s next pop-ups at Far From The Tree are set for Thursday from 6-8 p.m. and Dec. 11 from 6-8 p.m.
Bugler said, since most of EDEX’s customer-base is online, the cheese shop will focus more on meeting needs rather than being in-person, although she emphasized that she would love to see Main Street “activated,” and having EDEX’s doors open has always been “a major, important piece of the puzzle for us.”
“We’ve found a happy medium where we can all live, and it can make more sense for the business, where we cut to order cheese and do platters all through the week. People can go to our website and place orders. We have folks who are constantly ordering like a half pound of cheese, a quarter pound of cheese, and we’re wrapping and delivering it to them, or having DoorDash do that,” she said.
EDEX delivers within 10 miles of its storefront at 50 Main St.
Bugler said the cheese shop will still be open for certain needs, such as picking up orders and attending the new, monthly Meet Your Monger events. These events are a chance for community members to come into the store, try the sandwich menu, and meet Bugler, the cheese expert. This year’s Meet Your Monger events will be Nov. 20 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and Dec. 18 from noon-6 p.m.
Bugler also plugged EDEX’s new Cheese Club, which allows people to learn and explore different cheese regions all over the world with an assortment of accouterments.
“Something we try to focus on in the store is: Cheese for everyone; cheese for all,” she said, adding that EDEX takes allergies and gluten restrictions seriously. “… I don’t think anyone should miss out. Like, you get your charcuterie platter; you’re gluten free; you should have crackers that compliment it well and won’t mess you up. Even with the melting menu, we have that in mind.”
