The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), Tracy, Calif., and dairy exporter HarbyrCo, Burlingame, Calif., said they launched California Cheesemakers’ Select, a curated box of handpicked California artisan cheeses available for delivery to consumers throughout the United States. The California Cheesemakers’ Select box will feature a different selection of four artisanal cow’s milk cheeses, sized 5-8 ounce each, every month on the CaliforniaCheeseBox.com website for $49 each.
According to the companies, two varieties of the box are currently available — Summer Celebrations and Weekend Party — perfect for virtual cheese and wine gatherings or small family celebrations. The Summer Celebrations box includes a firm, buttery Jersey milk cheese, an English-style bandage-wrapped cheddar, a rustic blue cheese and a creamy habanero jack. The Weekend Party box includes a rich, nutty dry jack and three farmstead cheeses: a mild Dutch-style Gouda, a creamy, buttery Asiago-style cheese and a firm Swiss-Italian-style mountain cheese.
The companies said box orders received by 9 p.m. on Tuesdays will be shipped Wednesday for Friday arrival. Each cheese is made with 100% milk from California’s dairy farm families and carries the Real California Milk seal. A $5 donation will be made to the California Artisan Cheese Guild for each of the two inaugural boxes sold in support of education, promotion and partnerships for California’s artisan cheese community.
“Artisan cheesemakers in California are facing many difficulties due to the COVID-19 situation, including restaurant closures and retail outlets stocking fewer items,” said Jennifer Giambroni, director of communications for the CMAB. “The Cheesemakers’ Select box was designed to promote direct-to-consumer sales to help cheesemakers weather the storm. These cheeses are part of our state’s culinary identity and we don’t want to see them — or the people who bring them to the table — disappear.”
California Cheesemakers’ Select is a production of HarbyrCo, an export and logistics company, with promotional support from the CMAB. The box is part of the Victory Cheese effort, a grassroots movement to help cheesemakers throughout the U.S. market and sell their cheeses directly to consumers, the companies said.
