With a wealth of experience in buying and product development, Sarah Miness is the Speciality Cheese Buyer for Waitrose, one of the UK’s leading food retailers. Over her nine years at Waitrose, Sarah has developed a deep understanding of the balance between innovation, provenance, and quality that defines the supermarket’s premium ranges.

In 2021, Sarah joined the Dairy Team as Cheese Buyer, where she now oversees Waitrose’s Speciality, Ingredient, and Christmas Cheese range, including the award-winning Waitrose No.1 collection and the extensive selection sold across 221 cheese counters nationwide. Her portfolio features cheeses sourced from 14 countries worldwide as well as exceptional examples from artisan producers across the British Isles.

Sarah’s career has been marked by a commitment to celebrating and elevating cheesemaking craft. She has served as a judge at the World, International, Global, British, and Virtual Cheese Awards, recognising excellence across the industry, and in 2024 she was inducted into the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers, joining a global network of respected cheese professionals. More recently, she was recognised as one of the first Fellows of the Academy of Cheese, successfully completing her Level Three Certification.

Before moving into the world of cheese, Sarah built her career in the beauty and retail sectors - experience that honed her keen eye for quality, branding, and customer experience. Today, she combines that expertise with her passion for artisan food to help shape the future of speciality cheese retail in the UK.