Maria Walley

The adage “when one door closes, another opens,” rang true for Maria Walley in March 2009, when Cheese From Britain closed its doors for good, ending her 20-year tenure as managing director of the U.S. offices. “It was a great job,” she notes. But Walley knew she could take her expertise in sales and marketing of specialty cheeses, as well as her experience working with retailers, distributors, exporters and cheese producers, and turn it into her own venture—Daelia’s Biscuits for Cheese. Based on an old Mediterranean recipe but baked in the U.S., these biscuits are designed to go with all types of cheese. The three-inch crisps have a delicate, sweet and toasty nut flavor, with a hint of black pepper in the finish, and are available in two flavors: Almond with Raisins, and Hazelnut with Fig.

Walley shared more of her story with us:

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What was your inspiration for starting Daelia’s Biscuits for Cheese?

I’ve always loved the nut and fruit breads served with cheeses and wanted to develop a shelf-stable pantry product to accompany cheese that incorporated nuts and fruits. At the time we were developing the product, the dollar was pretty weak and the local movement was getting stronger. I wanted to create something that was inspired by European/Mediterranean influences but made in the U.S. with American ingredients. The result is a leaner supply chain, which means fresher product at a lower price. We bake to order in small batches and ship directly from the bakery to the retailer or distributor.

What is the most satisfying or challenging part of your job?

Creating and maintaining our own brand is new to me but it is also both satisfying and challenging. I like the fact that I can focus on specialty accounts and maintaining the brand rather than only focusing on growth. We are in this for the long haul and I believe that the decisions that we make now will have long-term effects, so we are focusing on slow growth. We know we cannot sell our product to everyone. So our desire and focus is to work with quality retailers who have great cheese shops and will merchandise the products with cheese.

If someone could shadow you for one day, what would surprise that person most?

Every day is different and most of them are long. Some days, I’m out on the road doing shows and meeting retail and distributor buyers and others I’m mired in the details of business such as follow up, marketing, working on new products and analyzing sales and financial reports. The details matter the most. I’ve been involved in this industry for a long time and know a lot of people so doors open pretty easily, but there is always lot of work once the door is open. Follow up needs to be quick otherwise people just move on to whatever excites them at the moment.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I always wanted to be in international business and still do. I like that in business your hard work is often directly correlated with results. I like traveling and meeting new people and seeing old friends. I don’t think I knew that I wanted to be in the food business when I was young but I always liked cooking, eating and learning about new and exciting foods.

Aside from your products, what three food items can you always find in your kitchen?

Wine, butter and shallots.

—Denise Shoukas

Denise Shoukas is a regular foodspring.com contributor and is the author of foodspring’s food forager blog.

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