A cheeseboard expert has been slammed after defending her $7,000 grazing table she created for an engagement party.
Emmy Rener, 22, is the owner of the charcuterie business Sophisticated Spreads, which is a company that designs aesthetic cheeseboards.
And while the self-proclaimed ‘cheese boss’ has found great success with her business – with even celebrities like Sofia Vergara and Jessica Alba munching on her spreads – she has sparked fierce outrage after revealing she charged $7,000 for a 25-foot grazing board.
In a viral video, which has so far amassed more than 5.2 million views, Emmy boasted about her luxurious cheeseboard, but viewers were left unimpressed and she found herself being forced to defend her pricing after facing furious backlash.
A cheeseboard expert has been slammed after defending her $7,000 grazing table she created for an engagement party
Emmy Rener, 22, is the owner of the charcuterie business Sophisticated Spreads, which is a company that designs aesthetic cheeseboards
She has sparked fierce outrage after revealing she charged $7,000 for a 25-foot grazing board
The clip began by showing an empty table before cutting to a 25-foot-long table filled with fruits, vegetables, cheese, flowers, crackers, and more.
The text overlay read: ‘This is what a $7,000 cheeseboard looks like.’
Viewers flooded the comments section and slammed her for the cost of the charcuterie board.
One person said: ‘No way. None. Beautiful board for sure, but your price is not justified.’
Others branded the board ‘not worth it,’ a ‘rip off’ and stated her pricing was ‘madness.’
In response to the criticism, the business owner shared a follow-up clip explaining her pricing.
‘I charged $7,000 for a cheeseboard and I’m going to tell you why,’ she said at the beginning of the clip before adding that she was ‘confident’ in her pricing.
‘First of all, it was 25-feet long, it was also for 150 people and this was the only food that they were serving at the engagement party,’ she explained.
The clip began by showing an empty table and then cut to a 25-foot-long table filled with fruits, vegetables, cheese, flowers, crackers, and more
She boasted about her pricey cheeseboard online, but viewers were left unimpressed
Viewers flooded the comments section and slammed her for the cost of the charcuterie board
The 22-year-old noted that the client requested a hand-woven garland in the middle, which was an ‘additional charge.’
‘We used all artisan cheeses for this board, so it was an additional charge. And the real kicker is that we are based in Los Angeles and this event was based in Napa Valley,’ she added.
‘For those who don’t know, that’s a six-hour drive, we had to stay in a hotel and I had to bring a team to make the spread.’
However, people on the web still slammed the business owner for the cost, with many branding it ‘overpriced’ and noted it ‘still’ wasn’t ‘worth it.’
One user said: ‘The math is not mathing.’
Someone else added: ‘It looks shamefully overpriced. The nerve.’
A third person wrote: ‘I wouldn’t even pay $10 for this.’
‘That’s about $6,500 too much,’ another commented.
‘I think you added one or two zeros too much,’ one TikTok user chimed in.
‘Max $500 to $1,000,’ a viewer added.
‘Looks like a rip off to me!’ one person declared.
After receiving mountains of backlash, Emmy shared another video about her infamous cheeseboard. This time she broke down the cost of her supplies.
In response to the criticism, the business owner shared a follow-up clip explaining her pricing
The 22-year-old noted that the client requested a hand-woven garland in the middle, which she said was an ‘additional charge’
At the end of the clip, she said that the total cost didn’t factor in their time spent prepping for the event
‘We charged $7,000 for this grazing table. It came out to about $550 in artisan cheeses that we sourced, we spent $150 on the charcuterie, the garland is hand-woven by a florist and that came out to about $150,’ she said.
‘We used fresh flowers and edible flowers, which ran us about $75. Now, you have the decor items – which are not necessarily meant to be eaten but are there for vibes – that’s about $100.
‘Now, let’s factor in the fresh fruit, so that’s grapes, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, the whole nine yards, that’s roughly $300.’
Emmy noted they also spent $75 on veggies, $50 on dips, $300 on dried goods such as crackers and bread, $200 on dessert items, and $50 on single-use utensils.
‘This was in northern California and we are based in Los Angeles, so we had about $300 in gas costs for us to drive six hours to Napa Valley,’ she continued.
‘And there were two of us doing this, so we had a two-night stay and had to stay in a hotel and everything like that.
‘So the total direct cost for this event was about $2,900, which is about 40 per cent of the cost.’
Despite lifting the lid on her profit margin for the cheeseboard, people on the web still slammed her charging $7,000 in the comments section
At the end of the clip, she said that the total cost didn’t factor in their time spent prepping for the event.
Despite lifting the lid on her profit margin for the cheeseboard, people on the web still slammed her for charging $7,000 in the comments section.
One person said: ‘Still overpriced.’
Someone else added: ‘$7,000 is way too much.’
‘So, basically someone could put it together themselves for about $2k and a little time spent cutting,’ one user added.
‘$7,000 seems a little excessive,’ someone else added.
‘No, this should cost like $5,000,’ one person said.
However, other viewers were on board and noted that her prices were ‘justified’ and that many people on the web didn’t understand the costs of running a business.
However, other viewers were on board and noted that her prices were ‘justified’
One person wrote: ‘You shouldn’t have to explain yourself. It’s a great price, it’s a lot of work.’
Someone else added: ‘You’re amazing! As a small business owner I look up to you.’
Another person commented: ‘Love it! You’re awesome!’
A fourth person gushed: ‘Ma’am this is gorgeous! Carry on please.’
Speaking to BuzzFeed, Emmy noted that she had no idea she would receive so much negative feedback on her cheeseboard, but added that she still felt as though her pricing was appropriate.
But Emmy did recognize that not everyone would be able to afford 25-foot spreads, but hoped clients would keep her in mind for smaller boards as well.
‘We’re not trying to only cater to celebrities or be something you can only have if you save up your entire budget for the month. That’s not realistic or what we’re striving for,’ she said.
Although Emmy believes her prices are just, she recognizes that not everyone will be able to afford 25-foot spreads, but hopes clients will keep her in mind for smaller boards as well
Emmy – who runs the business with the help of her father – decided to turn her childhood hobby into a business in 2020 and now proudly brings in more than six figures per year
‘I’m hoping that in the future, we’re able to reach a point where we’re still able to have people who have followed us for years decide, “You know what, it’s a random Sunday, and I wanna order a board.”‘
Emmy – who runs the business with the help of her father – decided to turn her childhood hobby into a business in 2020 and now proudly brings in more than six figures per year and boasts a slew of celebrity clients.
And while people may have been shocked by her $7,000 cheeseboard, Emmy charges up to $25,000 for a charcuterie spread, according to Insider.
However, the 22-year-old noted that money had never been driving factor for her, adding that she was just overjoyed to be doing what she loved everyday.
She told the outlet: ‘I have never really been driven by finances for this business.
‘It’s always been more of a labor of love.’