Ali Cameron is on a mission to make cheese and wine, a niche food category often seen as sophisticated and expensive, an approachable new hobby for Northwest Arkansas. Tucked in a building behind Pink Fern Plant Co. stands one of Fayetteville’s newest vendors: Bloom Cheese Collective, a versatile distributor of curated cheeses, wines, beers and dine-in cheese plates. The shop, founded by Ali Cameron and her husband, Brooks, opened to the public in June 2025.
The Camerons met in Dallas, where Brooks was working as a professional chef and Ali was planting the seeds to her cheese career. After the couple married, they sold all of their belongings and moved up to North Carolina, where Ali studied at cheese farms to learn the processes behind cheese making. Once Ali had learned the ropes and their family had grown, the Camerons decided it was time to move down south to be closer to family, leading them to set roots down in Fayetteville. With four kids, Ali felt her calling was to be a stay-at-home mom; however, opportunity arose, and they spontaneously decided to fulfill their dream of opening a cheese and wine shop.
“We’re doing our own Arkansas spin on what a cheese shop could be. A lot of times, people see cheese and wine as this fancy thing, which it can – and should – be, but it does not need to be unapproachable, because if you take cheese back to its core, you know, it’s just the preservation of milk! I want to take cheese and make it less ‘fancy,’ make it more approachable,” Ali said.
The mission of Bloom Cheese Collective is being fulfilled one cheese wedge at a time, each specifically curated by Ali.
“We want you to come in and we want you to taste everything before you buy it. We never want someone walking away with a piece of cheese that they’re not going to like,” Ali said.
Alongside its market options, the cheese shop offers a range of classes and events designed to offer aspiring cheese and wine connoisseurs lessons in pairing different cheeses and alcohols, understanding the best cheeses to eat in the summer, and different ways to use and present cheese. These classes are often done in partnership with local breweries, wineries, and bakeries.
“Our goal is to not only sell cheese at our shop, but to work with other chefs and other people doing events and to bring cheese to other venues,” Ali said.
At its core, the Cameron’s hope that Bloom Cheese Collective becomes a comfortable space for patrons to work, rest or play.
“We want everybody in every walk of life to come in here and have a great experience. Eat some cheese! Drink some wine! Have a beer! Eat a sandwich! Work on your laptop! Let your kid run around! We want everyone to feel at home,” Ali said.
If you're interested in checking out the cheeses and wines offered by Bloom Cheese Collective, you can find the restaurant online at https://bloomcheesecollective.squarespace.com.
Additionally, you can find them on Instagram at @bloomcheeseco and on Facebook @BloomCheeseCollective
Bloom Cheese Collective's brick-and-mortar location can be found at 914 N College Ave Suite 2 in Fayetteville.