Cowgirl Creamery facts for kids
Cowgirl Creamery is a company located in Petaluma, California. They are famous for making special, handmade cheeses called artisan cheeses. The company started in 1994. Besides making their own delicious cheeses, they also sell other cheeses from different places and fancy foods. Some of their most famous cheeses are Red Hawk and Mt. Tam. These cheeses are named after local places like Mount Tamalpais. For many years, Cowgirl Creamery had a shop in the San Francisco Ferry Building. The people who started the company, Peggy Smith and Sue Conley, used to work in many famous kitchens in the Bay Area. Their cheeses are even used in well-known restaurants like Alice Waters' Chez Panisse.
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How Cowgirl Creamery Makes Cheese
Cowgirl Creamery makes its cheeses using fresh, 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 very creamy cheese, similar to a type called Explorateur. It's known for being extra rich.
- Red Hawk is also very creamy, but it has a special "washed rind." This means its outside is washed during aging, which gives it a unique flavor.
Seasonal and Special Cheeses
Cowgirl Creamery also makes four soft cheeses that are only available at certain times of the year. These are Pierce Point, Saint Pat, Chimney Rock, and Devil's Gulch.
They have a few aged cheeses that are a bit different:
- Inverness looks like a goat cheese but is actually made from cow's milk. It has a short shelf life, so you can only find it at Cowgirl's own stores.
- Wagon Wheel is a semi-firm cheese. It comes in large, 25-pound wheels and is designed to melt well.
- Their newer semi-firm cheese is called Hopalong.
- Very rarely, they make a special aged cheese called Sir Francis Drake. It's similar to Mount Tam but is washed in Muscat wine and has currants on top, giving it a stronger, sweeter taste.
Fresh Cheeses
The company also makes fresh cheeses. These include a creamy fromage blanc and a rich crème fraiche. They have also started making their clabbered cottage cheese again.
Naming Their Cheeses
Many of their aged cheeses are named after famous places or features near the Marin Headlands. This helps connect their cheeses to the beautiful area where they are made.
History of Cowgirl Creamery
Cowgirl Creamery first started making cheese in 1994. Over the years, they have grown and opened different locations.
Early Locations
Besides their shop in San Francisco, their first creamery in Point Reyes Station also has a store and a small cafe. They even had a store in Washington, D.C., from 2006 to 2013. The founders, Sue Conley and Peggy Smith, are originally from the Washington, D.C. area.
Company Acquisition
On May 17, 2016, Cowgirl Creamery announced that a large Swiss dairy company called Emmi AG had bought them. Emmi AG is a publicly traded company, which means its shares can be bought and sold on the stock market. This acquisition helped Cowgirl Creamery continue to grow and share its cheeses with more people.
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