Lactalis Canada is going against the trend for its new delivery service to show that some things are worth waiting for.

While same-day delivery is now table stakes, and some services even promising deliveries within the hour, Balderson Delivery is promising something different: order today, get your cheese in a year.

Customers will be rewarded for their patience, though. Among those that sign up for the delivery service by this coming Sunday, 100 will be allowed to participate, and receive their order of one year-aged Balderson cheddar for free.

Having to wait the full year for the cheese to age before it arrives at their doorstep is meant to emphasize the craft that goes into making quality cheese, a key attribute for the Balderson brand.

“Consumers have grown so accustomed to instant gratification and quick meal delivery at the touch of a button without stopping to appreciate the craftsmanship behind each bite,” says Bindia Wijesekera, brand manager for Balderson Cheese at Lactalis Canada. “We know the value of slowing down and allowing the right amount of time to heighten the flavour experience,” Wijesekera notes, adding that the brand wants to remind people that premium quality is worth waiting for.

Leading up to delivery, Balderson will send the limited number of recipients updates throughout the year so consumers can check in on their cheese before they receive it.

While Balderson Delivery is something of a cheeky way to package a contest, parent company Lactalis is no stranger to the direct-to-conusmer market. In 2021, it launched its direct-to-consumer specialty cheese site, Cheese World, aimed at “authentic epicureans.” This was informed by a pandemic trend which saw that online grocery transactions as a share of total online transactions more than double. But even there, the company still put an emphasis on craft and quality, putting a variety of heritage and harder-to-find global cheeses among the offering.

DonerNorth led creative for the campaign, with Zenith leading a media plan that leans heavily on paid social. Strategic Objectives is also supporting through public relations and executing a classic media relations push.