New York-based Murray's Cheese opens its first Colorado shop in the Glendale King Soopers

Lori Midson

"Nine years ago," says Liz Thorpe, "when no one cared about cheese, we started selling cheese at Murray's, a small cheese shop in New York, and thanks to some amazing people with a genuine love and passion for cheese, we've become one of the best cheese shops in the country."

Murray's, which Forbes.com has called the "world's best cheese shop," has 31 stores throughout the United States, including the first mini-Murray's Cheese shop in Denver, which opened on August 14 inside the Glendale King Soopers at 4600 Leetsdale Drive.

"Three-and-a-half years ago, we formed an exclusive partnership with Kroger, the parent company of King Soopers, and we couldn't be more excited to launch our first store in Denver, a city that prides itself on being local and sustainable," says Thorpe, the vice president of Murray's, author of The Cheese Chronicles and co-author of The Murray's Cheese Handbook.

Lori Midson

The launch of Murray's in Denver is part of a multi-state roll-out that will also include locations in two additional King Soopers stores in the metro area: the King Soopers at 2750 South Colorado Boulevard, and the King Soopers at 6000 South Holly Street in Greenwood Village; Murray's Cheese will open in both stores by the end of September. And by the end of November, there will be three Murray's Cheese shops in the Boulder area, followed by several others in the mountains.

Each store, notes Thorpe, will carry upwards of 175 local, domestic and international cheeses, which are grouped by style, similar flavor characteristics and texture. The Gelndale King Soopers currently carries a dozen local cheeses sourced from Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy, Jumpin' Good Goat Dairy, Rocking W Ranch and MouCo Cheese Company. "We have common cheeses and fancy cheeses, but they're accessible to everyone, and they're also affordable," says Thorpe, adding, too, that none of the cheeses are pre-cut, and that all of the cheesemongers are Murray's trained.