The I.J. Mellis cheese shops were established in 1993 with the opening of the first Mellis cheese shop on Edinburgh's historic Victoria Street by founder Iain Mellis. Founded on the mission to make high quality farmhouse and artisan cheese more readily available to customers. The small, slightly damp Victoria Street shop was the perfect for space for a cheesemonger.

The success of the Victoria Street store led to the Glasgow location being opened two years later, followed by three further locations. In 2018 Rory Mellis joined his father in the family business. Mellis cheesemongers work directly with small scale cheese makers to mature young cheese in their own maturing rooms in Edinburgh and to supply customers both locally through the shops and farther afield via the online store as well as wholesale clients.

The back of the Morningside location has been converted into a 20 cover wine bar for cheese sampling.

"Purveyors of fine farmhouse and artisan cheese with five locations across Scotland."