Six small-batch cave-aged cheeses from Murray's Cheese are now available at five Harris Teeter kiosks in the Charlotte, N.C., area — the first time the New York-based affineur's exclusive collection has reached the market. The fall launch is part of Murray's ongoing retail expansion through the Kroger family of stores, where it operates within more than 1,200 locations nationwide.
The Collection
The six varieties making their Charlotte debut were developed through partnerships with specialty creameries and finished using affinage — the time-intensive cave-aging process in which Murray's team controls temperature, humidity, and rind development on unmatured wheels sourced from premier producers. Five of the six cheeses in the Harris Teeter assortment received honors at the 2026 American Cheese Society Judging & Competition Awards, one of the most competitive accolades in domestic artisan cheese. The lineup includes Cave Aged Reserve Cornelia (a buttery cow's milk wheel), Barnstorm Blue (a raw milk washed-rind blue), Hudson Flower (herb-and-flower-coated), Mini Greensward (spruce-wrapped and cider-washed), Carpenter's Wheel (an Alpine-style goat cheese), and Original Stockinghall Cheddar — named Best Cheddar and Best American Cheese at the World Cheese Awards.
"Our cheese caves allow us to experiment with flavor and be endlessly curious about cheese, and we are thrilled to bring exclusive new offerings to cheese lovers at Harris Teeter," said Nick Tranchina, President of Murray's Cheese. "With cheeses crafted by some of the finest cheesemakers in the U.S. and finished by our dedicated team, we hope to introduce customers to their new favorite cheese."
Retail Experience & Events
The kiosk model is central to Murray's in-store strategy: each location is staffed by trained cheesemongers who guide customers through the selection, share provenance stories, and facilitate sampling. Harris Teeter hosted Perfect Pairing tasting events on August 27 across all five Charlotte-area locations — Morrocroft Village, Stonecrest, Rea Farms, Ballantyne Commons East, and Cureton Town Center — giving shoppers direct access to Murray's affineur staff. The format mirrors the experiential retail programming, from Parmesan wheel crackings to fondue tastings, that Murray's has used to differentiate its in-store presence.
For specialty food retailers and foodservice buyers tracking premium cheese and specialty food trends, the Murray's expansion underscores growing consumer appetite for artisan, provenance-driven dairy at the supermarket level. The kiosk format — blending guided service with event programming — reflects a broader hospitality-influenced approach to grocery retail experience that operators across segments are watching closely. Murray's parent Kroger has leaned into the model as a way to drive basket size and differentiation in the competitive fresh specialty category.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
