Premium farmstead cheeses that express the terroir of Marin County.
The San Francisco Bay Area is fanatical about cheese, and so much of our local enthusiasm is owed to the two chefs who created Cowgirl Creamery, Sue Conley and Peggy Smith. At Piedmont Grocery, we are huge fans of Cowgirl Creamery. They were at the forefront of the American artisan cheese movement, and are still making award-winning cheeses in delicious variety, using milk from nearby dairies.

In 1997, Sue Conley and Peggy Smith opened Cowgirl Creamery in picturesque Pt. Reyes Station. They started with an old barn, made it beautiful, put in a small plant for making hand-crafted cheese, and bought organic milk from the neighbor, Straus Family Creamery.

In the past 12 years, they have grown and moved their operations to Petaluma. Cowgirl Creamery cheeses are sold to over 500 stores, independent cheese shops, farmers markets and restaurants, and national supermarkets. Still, Cowgirl Creamery makes cheese from organic milk supplied by three small farms in Marin and Sonoma Counties.

Sometimes you just need to try a new cheese. Check out this list of amazing cheese we carry from Cowgirl Creamery:

Hop Along
Cowgirl Creamery’s newest cheese is Hop Along, a rich, semi-firm organic cow’s milk cheese washed with organic cider and aged 45 days, similar to cheeses made centuries ago by Trappist monks. The nose is yeasty and sweet, reminiscent of an apple orchard, and the paste is pudgy with a silky mouthfeel that melts easily on the tongue. Hop Along offers bright acidity and flavors of brown bread and milk chocolate with a distinct savory note toward the rind.

Pierce Pt
Named for a ranch on the Pt Reyes National Seashore, this summer seasonal cheese starts with organic Holstein milk from John and Karen Taylor’s Bivalve Dairy. These rich, bloomy rind wheels are dusted with a beautiful mixture of field flowers, chamomile, calendula, and Thai Basil. Pierce Pt. is herbal and savory, with a tangy brightness from the interior paste.

Red Hawk
The wild bacteria that define this bold, sumptuous triple cream are native to Point Reyes; in fact, this cheese could not be made anywhere else. Aged four weeks and washed with a brine solution that encourages the sunset red-orange rind, Red Hawk captures the true essence of West Marin. Red Hawk’s pungent aromas complement its rich, smooth flavor.

Mt. Tam
named for a Northern California landmark: the majestic Mt. Tamalpais. Made from Straus Family Dairy’s fresh organic milk, this elegant triple cream was our first foray into aged cheeses. Mt. Tam tastes of cultured butter with hints of white mushroom.

Wagon Wheel
Born out of collaboration with renowned San Francisco chefs, this smooth, tasty table cheese is ready to roll with most any meal. Try it melted, grated, grilled and snacked! Wagon Wheel has a mild, sweet milk flavor that’s eminently edible.

Clabberd Cottage Cheese
Cowgirl Creamery makes cottage cheese the traditional way with pillowy non-fat curds tossed in a dressing of cultured cream and organic milk from Bivalve Dairy. Flavors of tangy lemon and sweet cream develop during its slow overnight set.