Cowgirl Creamery facts for kids
Cowgirl Creamery is a company in Point Reyes Station, California. They make amazing artisan cheeses. The company started in 1994. They make their own cheeses and also sell other cheeses from around the world. They also sell other tasty artisan foods. Some of their most famous cheeses are Red Hawk and Mt. Tam. Mt. Tam is named after Mount Tamalpais. Until April 2021, they had a shop in the famous Ferry Building in San Francisco. The founders, Peggy Smith and Sue Conley, used to work in kitchens in the Bay Area. Even famous restaurants like Alice Waters' Chez Panisse use cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery.
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How Cowgirl Creamery Makes Cheese
Cowgirl Creamery makes its own cheeses using organic milk. This milk comes from nearby farms like Straus Family Creamery and John Tavernas' dairy.
Popular Aged Cheeses
Two of their most well-known aged cheeses are Mount Tam and Red Hawk.
- Mount Tam is a triple cream cheese. This means it's extra rich and creamy.
- Red Hawk is also a triple cream cheese. It has a special "washed rind" that gives it a unique flavor.
Seasonal and Special Cheeses
Cowgirl Creamery also makes four soft cheeses that are only available during certain seasons:
- Pierce Point
- Saint Pat
- Chimney Rock
- Devil's Gulch
They have two aged cheeses that are a bit different:
- Inverness looks like a goat cheese but is made from cow's milk. You can only buy it at Cowgirl Creamery's own stores because it doesn't last long.
- Wagon Wheel is a semi-firm cheese. It's great for melting and comes in large, 25-pound wheels.
Their newest cheese is the semi-firm Hopalong. They also sometimes make a very rare, secret aged cheese called Sir Francis Drake. It's similar to Mount Tam but is washed in Muscat wine and has currants on top. This gives it a stronger, sweeter taste.
Fresh Cheeses
The aged cheeses are named after places or features near the Marin Headlands. Cowgirl Creamery also makes fresh cheeses:
- A fromage blanc (a soft, fresh cheese)
- A crème fraiche (a rich, thick cream)
They recently started making their clabbered cottage cheese again.
History of Cowgirl Creamery
The company began in 1994. Besides their San Francisco shop and Sidekick Cafe, their first creamery in Point Reyes Station also has a store and a cafe. They also had a shop in Washington, D.C., from 2006 to 2013. The founders, Sue Conley and Peggy Smith, are from Washington, D.C.
On May 17, 2016, a big Swiss dairy company called Emmi AG bought Cowgirl Creamery.
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