FAQs
Cheese and Cheese Care
There are a couple of ways:
1.We’ve got our Online Cheese Shop where we can FedEx Cowgirl Creamery and some of our favorite cheese artisans to you nationwide.
2.Check out your local cheese section. We’re available in some shops across the country such as: Whole Foods Market, Kroger Stores (anywhere there’s a Murray’s Cheese Section), and specialty and independent stores around the country. Read here for a list by region.
Yes, everything we make is certified organic. Our online store sells our organic artisan cheeses as well as specialty cheeses from other producers - some certified organic, some not.
Our milk is locally sourced from farmer partners in Northern California.
Yes, all of the cheese we make at Cowgirl Creamery are based on the organic, pasture-based milk we get from our farm partners.
Our online store sells our cow's milk cheeses, as well as other varieties (goat, sheep, etc.) from our fellow producers.
As soon as you get it home, store the unopened cheese in the refrigerator for best quality. Any opened pieces can be re-wrapped in the cheese paper it comes in.
If you don’t have cheese paper, use something that will keep the cheese covered so that it doesn’t dry out in the fridge. Other customers have used reusable beeswax food cloths and parchment paper. Plastic wrap can be used, but it’s better for harder cheeses than delicate soft cheese.
Mold is a vital part of cheesemaking, developing flavor and texture. It’s what makes that beautiful pale rind on Mt Tam.
Sometimes, mold can appear on the surface after packaging. You may seen blooms of white, gray, blue, and green. Those are completely natural - signs of microbial life. The cheese is still delicious after some trimming.
If there’s mold within the cheese, let us know.
All cheeses vary in aromatic intensity. Some, like Mt. Tam, should have a delicate earthy and mushroomy aroma, whereas others, like Red Hawk, have a characteristically robust aroma ranging from pot roast to peanut shells.
Even cheeses with mild aromas can seem extreme when first presented to the room, so we suggest first giving the cheese 5 minutes to "breathe" unwrapped. If at this point, the cheese smells strongly of ammonia (glass cleaner) or bitterness, have a small taste. If the intense aroma has made its way inside to the flavor of the cheese, it won't hurt you or your guests, but is probably past prime and should be disposed in favor of a newer piece.
We have all of Cowgirl Creamery cheese nutrition info either on the packaging or here on our website under About Us > Our Cheese.
Most Cowgirl Creamery fresh and soft-ripened cheeses (Mt Tam, Red Hawk, Devil's Gulch, Pierce Pt, and Heart's Desire) are made with microbial rennet suitable for vegetarians. Our aged pressed cheeses (Hop Along & Wagon Wheel) are made with traditional non-vegetarian rennet.
All Cowgirl Creamery cheeses are made with pasteurized organic milk and/or cream, meaning that it has been heat-treated (before culturing) in accordance with local and federal guidelines. Our best-selling Cowgirl Classic and Cowgirl Creamery Deluxe Collections contain only pasteurized, Cowgirl Creamery Cheeses.
For details on other artisan cheeses from our friends and neighbors, below is a list with some of our favorites with milk treatment (raw/pasteurized):
Estero Gold Reserve | Valley Ford Cheese & Creamery | Raw Cow's Milk
Ewereka | Central Coast Creamery | Pasteurized Sheep's Milk
Goat Gouda | Central Coast Creamery | Pasteurized Sheep's Milk
Fog Lights & Humboldt Fog | Cypress Grove | Pasteurized Goat's Milk
Mendonca | Bivalve Creamery | Raw Cow's Milk
Original Blue | Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co | Raw Cow's Milk
Toma| Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co | Pasteurized Cow's Milk
Paso Vino | Stepladder Creamery | Pasteurized Cow's Milk
Pepato | Bellwether Farms | Raw Sheep's Milk
Smoked Sea Salt & Rosemary Marinated Goat Cheese | CHEVOO | Pasteurized Goat's Milk
If you are pregnant, nursing, immunocompromised, or gifting to someone who is, we recommend following the advice of your medical professional before consuming raw milk cheeses.
Ordering
Thanksgiving: place your order by Monday, 11/21 at noon to ship Tuesday
Christmas: place your order by Tuesday, 12/20 at noon to ship Wednesday
Yes! At checkout select “Ship to multiple addresses” and you’ll be able to send each collection to a different address.
During the checkout, enter your note in the "gift message" and enter your desired greeting.
Your complimentary gift message will be printed onto the packing slip that is placed inside the box.
Prices will not be included on the packing slip or inside of the package. Receipts will be sent to the email you entered during checkout.
We will only send tracking notifications to the email you provide to us during checkout.
Unfortunately, we aren’t able to offer individual cheeses via our online store -- but you are able to add a single Mt Tam to just about any collection. From time to time, we have online specials with several pieces of the same cheese like our popular Tam Trio. Sign up for our emails to be the first to know!
For our Online Cheese Catalog, unfortunately, we don’t have that option. But check out all of our current catalog - we’ve curated popular combinations that feature the best of Cowgirl for all kinds of cheese lovers.
On the View Cart page, you can click the "X" to the right of the product. To change the quantity of the item, simply use the up or down arrows next to the product you wish to change.
Payments & Promos
In our online shop, we accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB, Diners Club, Elo, Shop Pay, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
All online cheese shop payments are processed at the time your order is placed. If you are ordering a cheese club subscription (not the pre-paid Club Gift option), the charge will go through once a month when we ship (until you cancel).
Our Online Cheese Shop’s digital gift cards can be redeemed online at any time. Enter the code during checkout.
If you have a physical gift card for our Point Reyes Barn Shop & Cantina, please reach out to info@cowgirlcreamery.com for instructions on how to redeem online.
You can sign up with the link in our footer to receive the latest news and offers from Cowgirl Creamery.
After signing up, you’ll receive a welcome email from us. Click on the link to start shopping and your code will be automatically applied at checkout. (Please allow up to 15 minutes for your welcome email to arrive in your inbox.)
Promo codes must be added during checkout. There’s a limit of one (1) promo code per customers.
Shipping and Delivery
No. We use FedEx Overnight Shipping (to make sure your cheese gets to you as quickly as possible) which is an additional $15
We ship nationwide, across all 50 states within the U.S. Sorry, no deliveries to Canada.
Yes! At checkout select “Ship to multiple addresses” and you’ll be able to send each item to a different address.
We don’t ship to PO boxes (we use FedEx).
Though we can't schedule an exact day, we can guarantee your order will arrive the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday of your selected delivery week.
All orders will ship within the selected week for delivery on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.
We ship from our base in Petaluma, CA.
Please get in touch with our Customer Service team.
Order Tracking
You will receive an order confirmation via email as soon as your order is placed. The shipping confirmation will come to you when we process your order for delivery.
You can check the status of your order by clicking on the tracking number located in your shipping confirmation email.
Every cheese collection is shipped in its own box, with its own tracking number.
Due to the speediness of our awesome warehouse team members; we are only able to offer the ability to make changes to your order within an hour of purchasing.
Exceptions can be requested if your item is scheduled for a later delivery week.
Changes will need to be requested no later than two weeks before the scheduled delivery date.
Check the FedEx tracking number for a location or status.
If your anticipated delivery date comes and goes, double-check that your shipping address was entered correctly when you placed the order. Orders shipped with incorrect addresses are not eligible for reshipment or refunds.
Account, Orders, & Emails
Click the "Forgot Password?" link underneath the log-in form, enter your address, and click send.
You’ll receive an email with instructions on how to reset your password with a temporary password. If you are unable to access your account by following these steps, create a new account or shop as a guest.
Get in touch with us ASAP. If the order has already processed for shipping or is in transit, there may be an extra charge from FedEx.
When logged into your account, simply click "Addresses," and then click "Edit" under the first address listed.
To unsubscribe from our emails, simply click "unsubscribe" in the footer of your most recent Cowgirl Creamery email.
To unsubscribe from our text messages, reply "stop" to the most recent text message you received from Cowgirl Creamery.
We do not offer in-store pick up for our Online Cheese Shop collections.
Our Point Reyes Barn Shop & Cantina is open Friday through Monday from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Those can only be applied for our Online Cheese Shop catalog, not for anything in our Point Reyes Barn Shop & Cantina.
Corporate Gifting
Absolutely! We have expert Group and Corporate Gifting Specialists ready to help you with your order. Send us an email to get started on a large order - orders@cowgirlcreamery.com
We offer volume-based discounts. For more information, reach out to one of our Group and Corporate Gifting Specialists.
General
Some of our cheeses are seasonal releases (like Heart's Desire) and some collections are available only at certain times of the year. We’re always working to offer the most appealing assortment of Cowgirl and other artisan cheeses and will vary up options.
We can’t accept returns, but if there’s an issue get in touch with us.