Begum Victoria Cheese

I enjoy the cheese from Begum Victoria. My cousin gifted me a platter in 2019 (which I loved), and I have ordered from them multiple times since then. Unfortunately, their product quality (which is the only reason they get two stars from me) is not matched by the customer service or convenience (which deserve zero stars). At first it seemed like teething issues, but it is sad that they have made no move to address this even over time. The problems with the ordering process, in my experience: - There is a contact number to reach out to by phone or Whatsapp. Response to Whatsapp is slow (few hours to respond to each question, leaving questions unanswered and needing repeated clarification), which then leads to having to make a call, which is a pain when already multitasking or in poor network areas. - They share only what you ask for. If I ask for a product list, they share that. If I want pricing, I have to ask specifically. Looking for a gift, then got to explicitly ask for gift options. Sometimes they share a bunch of pictures of gift options with no descriptions or pricing. That leaves me to repeatedly ask about every item I may be interested in. - After communicating my choice, I am often told about X, Y and Z not being available at the moment. It would really help if that is mentioned at the time of sharing the list to save on time and effort. -If you want to customize a gift, you have to do a lot of back and forthing, they don’t have a clear process for it. The problem could be easily resolved by having a “Create your own” list with a list and pricing for each add on such as board, crackers, decoration, box, etc. - This year I was excited to see that they shared a brochure with both, pictures and prices… but when I chose a platter they told me the pricing was misprinted in the brochure and was actually about 50% higher! Considering this is a digital brochure, it would have cost them nothing to have it fixed before sharing, and it would have spared clarification and customer disappointment. MOST RECENT EXPERIENCE: It took me two days just to place my order last week, mostly because of poor communication, and repeated mistakes. I put together a customized order, because I am particular and I know what I like and don’t like. There were multiple mistakes at calculating the payment amount. I organized pick up and carried the box as is to my friend's place in Chikmagalur for her 40th bday celebration. We opened it to see something COMPLETELY different from what I had ordered! Not a single cheese in it was one I had ordered. There were soggy, inedible crackers and condiments that I had specifically asked to be excluded. The overcrowded small platter in an oversized box mostly lay uneaten by the end of the evening. (I could've taken a better picture that would have shown how silly the platter looked in the big box, or how everything was unnecessarily crammed on a tiny board.) I sent them the picture, expressing my surprise and disappointment at the goof up, to which the response was "We are sorry for this, we will discuss the matter with our team. Next time you will get what you order." Lol! While it is exciting to have a good cheese source in Bangalore, I will not be ordering from them any more. This last experience was just too painful and pointless. It is clear that the retail business of selling cheese is not of priority to them, their main hustle seems to be selling to the restaurants that their partners own. I'd rather give my business to sincere and eager small businesses who care for their customers, and fortunately nowadays there are new options that pop up, with competitive pricing and interesting product line-ups. Management at BV: You have a good product at hand, and one that a cheese-loving Bangalorean can be grateful for and proud of. Before you frustrate and lose other customers, I would suggest a full overhaul in the ordering process or sticking to institutional selling, because the current process leaves a bad taste in the mouth that even yummy cheese can't fix.

I've been a fan of their cheeses since they first launched years ago. Whenever I have guests over, their cheese plates are my go-to—they’re always a hit! The guests love them, they become the centerpiece of the snack spread, and everyone raves about how delicious they are. It's such a relief to have a reliable, high-quality option for last-minute hosting. Seeing guests smile and enjoy the food is the best part! Oh, and their smoked honey is incredible too.

ARTISANAL CHEESE MADE IN BANGALORE 🧀❤️🧀 In my time away from Bangalore the past three years there have been many changes to the roads and infrastructure, but more notably for me the local food scene is abuzz. There seems to be a definite interest and emphasise on championing local and as such several local brands producing everything from quality cold press juices to cheeses. @begumvictoriacheese is a company I discovered through my foodie aunt @desertjunkie who gifted me this gorgeous selection of cheeses. What you see pictured here unwrapped on the board in the first picture, and in its packaging in the second picture is the Truffle Brie, Manchego, Lavosh Crisps and Smoked Honey by @begumvictoriacheese Seriously impressed with the quality of the cheeses, I enjoyed this board with my family of cheese lovers last night and we were all very much impressed. The truffle Brie was soft without being overly creamy and oozing, and the truffle infusion just right, you can see flakes of truffle in the centre of the Brie, unsure where they source their truffle from, however the taste and scent is totally unmistakable without being overkill. Totally Delish and was a winner! The Manchego was lovely too - nice creamy texture, nice salt crystals through the cheese, a nutty flavours - a really savoury delight. Pairing the cheeses with the smoked honey was just delightful - this is seriously delicious honey and the smoked flavour shines through, noticeable but not over the top. If you’re in Bangalore I highly recommend checking out @begumvictoriacheese for a delightful cheese experience!

Some nice cheese suited to Bangalorean climes. The brie is mild and can be enjoyed even in summer. I believe this is the cheese used in the brie en croute at Olive. The feta is quite creamy and decadent and works wonderfully stirred into some scrambled eggs. The havarti has a lovely texture. For best results combine with some bread from Oven Spring over in I'ngr. I'm looking for some uncooked honey to pour over a slice of sourdough with some feta on it. Order via WhatsApp and get Dunzo to pick it up.

Fabulous, high quality, locally made artisanal cheeses that I love ordering directly or eating at restaurants.

Their stuff is amazing, however out of curiosity just checked the weights and found to be short measured. Their truffle butter which is advertised as 100grams was hardly 10-15 grams. Called the customer service and was rewarded with their now famous service levels which has led to their reviews becoming so dismal inspite of their yummy stuff. Never ordering from these cheats again…if I had the spare time and inclination would have followed up with the weights and measures department against such a company.

Great product but disappointing ordering experience. Placed an order for a platter with ice gel packs to allow me to carry the platter to a different city. Their team forgot to add the gel packs and then offered to ship it to the city I was travelling to. After multiple follow-up I was informed that same day shipping wouldn’t be possible and the cheese will get spoilt. Next, they offered to refund the money but took about a weeks time and multiple calls and message to finally remit the money. Would suggest to buy their cheese in person from the stalls they setup during the events or buy from a local vendor that sells their cheese.

I have ordered from Begum thrice and the ordering experience has become worse over time. They mix up the cheese that has been ordered, forget to include items and the response to the same is “can we add it to your next order” not even offering to send you the correct cheese again. I have wasted way too much money in dunzo-ing packages back n forth because of their constant mess ups. Even if the cheese quality is great, it’s definitely not worth the constant follow ups and mix ups. Won’t be ordering from here again.