Otto’s Cheese Shop, located at 344 Landa St., New Braunfels, opened in May 2021.
The husband-and-wife duo were at first running the shop exclusively by themselves all while raising their two daughters.
“It was a lot to juggle, so we said, ‘We’re gonna have to hire because we just can’t do it all. If we want to see this place grow, we [have to] be able to have employees that we can train and feel comfortable letting run the shop,’” Bob said.
The Pinedas also had to become familiar with customer preferences.
“We definitely have evolved from the beginning [from] what we carried then to what we have now,” Rachel said.
In addition to cheese, Otto’s Cheese Shop also carries a variety of meats to pair with a diverse selection of wines.
“We like to focus on artisan-style cheeses that really focus on the craftsmanship, the traditionally made cheeses, things that you can really taste the love and care that those cheesemakers put into their product really does translate into the end result,” Bob said.
The shop also has a subscription service called Otto’s Cheese Club, which includes three to four curated cheeses that are 1/3-pound cuts. The cheeses are typically ready for pickup or ship the first week of each month. An info sheet is included in the box, which has the history of the cheese, its maker and suggestions on wine and food pairings.
In the future, the Pinedas hope to expand the shop to offer more sitdown options for their customers to try the cheeses and wines.
“We get a lot of return customers, so we feel like that’s a good indicator that we’re doing something right,” Bob said.
Otto’s Cheese Club
Otto’s Cheese Club is ideal for those looking to try unique cheeses. The box includes three to four curated cheeses that are 1/3-pound cuts that can be picked up from the shop or shipped out in the first week of each month.
• Club membership costs
• One month: $50
• Three months: $140
• Six months: $270
Otto’s Cheese Shop
• 344 Landa St., New Braunfels
• 830-387-4495
• www.ottoscheeseshop.com
• Hours: Tue.-Fri. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat. 11 a.m.-4 p.m., closed Sun.
