Entrepreneur of the Month: Jacques Derreumaux, Owner Of The Cheese Club!

Ask a bunch of entrepreneurs what drives them and most will say their passion; their belief in whatever it is they are sharing with clients. Three-year DB resident Jacques Derreumaux is no exception. “If you want to maximise your chances, and enjoy most of your working days, you’d better find a product that moves you,” the owner of online gourmet food shop Cheese Club opens. “My main success is in food; there is no coincidence. I have always been a gourmand!”

Jacques earned his entrepreneurial chops in mainland China where he spent 16 years opening businesses both for himself and for investors. His lightbulb moment came in 2017 when he moved to Hong Kong and, along with a university friend Normann Gany, launched a business dedicated to delivering premium fruit and vegetables to high-end restaurants. After a few months, the duo added a fruit deliver y service for households.

“When set ting up a business, the first thing you need to consider is what pain point your idea is going to solve. In our case, we noticed that artisan cheese was extremely expensive in Hong Kong, meaning cheese lovers had to limit their intake. From that observation, we decided to look for a cost-effective model.”

Cheese Club launched in January 2019 and was an immediate success. “Thanks to our group pre-order offers, we could buy directly from European artisanal producers, save on logistics, avoid waste and ultimately propose prices 40-50% cheaper than the usual Hong Kong prices,” Jacques explains.

“Successful entrepreneurs are adaptable. You star t with an idea, but you need to be open to adjust when it reaches the market. Your environment evolves constantly, external events like protests and Covid hit you – it’s important to stay flexible and be able to reinvent yourself.”

The duo opened Cheese Club Singapore in 2021, and kept widening the scope of products offered, to finally become a complete grocer y store. “Today we sell more meat than cheese, maybe time for a rebranding,” Jacques says with a grin

“Everything is a matter of timing. A good idea at the wrong time is worth nothing, move on! That ’s the best piece of entrepreneurial advice I’ve ever been given. That and keep a close eye on the competition. We order from our competitors regularly to make sure we are still on top in terms of quality, price and service.

With the business doing well, how does Jacques ensure it stays that way? “You need to focus on your team,” he says. “You can’t possibly do everything by yourself, so you need to make sure you are surrounded by the right people. When hiring staff, I look for people who can multi-task, who are committed, and who are respectful to colleagues, suppliers and clients.”

Lastly, when asked how he reaches his target audience, Jacques says he spends little on advertising. “Almost all our client acquisition is done through word of mouth: you invite some friends for dinner; they like the food and ask where you got it from. We are lucky to work in a field that’s about sharing pleasure.”

Cheese Club

Contact: +852 2178 2229

Website: cheeseclub.hk

Cheese Club delivers to Discovery Bay every day – place your order before 3pm for next-day delivery