Randy Chandler
Cal Poly Creamery is a part of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Students at the creamery are involved in the entire process of making cheese, from milking the cows to manufacturing, packaging, marketing, and selling the final product. The creamery produces seven varieties of gourmet cheeses, including cheddar, gouda, fromage blanc, and the award-winning Triple Peak Brie. Cal Poly's cheese products are available for purchase online, at the Campus Market, and at several retailers in San Luis Obispo. Notably, the creamery uses vegetarian rennet in its cheese-making process, as listed on the ingredients of the Cal Poly White Cheddar.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Cheese Varieties | Cheddar, Gouda, Fromage Blanc, Triple Peak Brie, Bella Montaña, White Cheddar |
| Other Products | Chocolate, Ice Cream, Jam, Wine, Meat |
| Facility | Dairy, Creamery, Campus Market, Cal Poly Meats, Poly Canyon Village Market |
| Student Involvement | Students are involved in the entire process, from milking cows to manufacturing, packaging, and selling the products. |
| Location | San Luis Obispo |
| Website | www.calpolycreamery.com |
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What You'll Learn
Cal Poly Creamery's cheese is made by students
The Cal Poly Creamery takes pride in the quality of its cheese and the story it represents. The creamery has been producing cheese for over 20 years, and in that time, the American artisan cheese industry has evolved significantly. To keep up with the changing landscape, the creamery introduced three new cheeses in 2018, including Bella Montaña, a sweet cheddar-like cheese with natural milk sweetness accentuated by special cultures added during the process.
Students at the creamery produce seven varieties of gourmet cheeses, including cheddar, Gouda, fromage blanc, and the award-winning Triple Peak Brie, which won first place in the soft cheese category at the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge. The creamery also offers cheese and wine gift boxes, featuring student-made products, available for purchase on their website and at several retailers in San Luis Obispo.
In addition to cheese, students at the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences also produce a variety of other food items, including chocolate, jam, and ice cream. The chocolates are made by Food Science and Nutrition students and come in various flavors, such as milk chocolate, dark chocolate, raspberry crisp, and hot habanero. The jam-making tradition began over 45 years ago as a food science lab exercise and has since become a successful student-led enterprise, producing more than 15,000 jars annually. Ice cream flavors produced by the students include Dutch chocolate, vanilla bean, Mustang Mint, mud pie, and strawberries and cream. These products are available for purchase at the Campus Market and the Cal Poly Creamery drive-thru, as well as online and through select local retailers.
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Cal Poly uses vegetarian rennet
Cal Poly Creamery takes pride in the quality of its cheese and the story it represents. The learning process for students begins at the dairy, where they milk and care for the herd of Holstein and Jersey cows, and continues through manufacturing, packaging, marketing, and selling the products. Cal Poly students are involved in every step of the process, from research and development to manufacturing practices, quality assurance, food safety, and sanitation principles.
The Cal Poly Creamery has big plans for the future, including installing new climate control systems in their aging rooms to produce truly original artisan cheeses. They also intend to expand their ice cream offerings, which already include flavours like Dutch chocolate, vanilla bean, Mustang Mint, mud pie, and strawberries and cream.
Cal Poly students gain valuable experience in the commercial food industry through these enterprise projects, which help prepare them for their future careers. The cheeses, along with other student-made products like chocolates, jams, wines, and meats, are available for purchase at the Campus Market, Cal Poly Mustang Shop, and several other retailers in San Luis Obispo.
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Cal Poly's cheese is made from cow's milk
Cal Poly Creamery is a part of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. The Creamery has been producing a variety of cheeses and dairy products for over 20 years. Students are involved in every step of the process, from milking and caring for the herd of Holstein and Jersey cows, to manufacturing, packaging, marketing, and selling the products.
The Creamery introduced three new cheeses in 2018 as part of a larger revisioning of the facility, equipment, and products. The first of these new cheeses is Bella Montaña, a sweet, modern cheddar-like cheese. The Creamery plans to install new climate control systems in their aging rooms to enable the production of more original artisan cheeses.
Cal Poly's Holiday Cheese and Wine Gift Boxes, featuring student-made products, are available for purchase online and at the Campus Market. The cheeses can also be purchased at the Cal Poly Creamery drive-thru every Friday from noon to 4 pm.
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Cal Poly Creamery has been making the same cheese for 20 years
Cal Poly Creamery has been making the same cheese for over 20 years. The Creamery is part of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and its products are handmade by students as part of their learning process. This process begins at the dairy, where students milk and care for the herd of Holstein and Jersey cows, and continues through manufacturing, packaging, marketing, and selling the products.
The Creamery's operations manager, Tom Johnson, acknowledged that while the classic varieties of cheeses had served them well, the success of the American artisan cheese industry meant that it was time for a change. He stated that American cheesemakers were now producing some of the most exciting cheeses in the world, and that Cal Poly students should be a part of this movement.
As a result, in 2018, the Creamery introduced three new cheeses as part of a larger revisioning of the facility, equipment, and products. The first of these new cheeses was Bella Montaña, a sweet, modern cheddar-like cheese. To produce this cheese, special cultures are added during the process to remove bitter notes and accentuate the natural sweetness of the milk. In addition to these new cheeses, the Creamery also offers traditional favorites, such as cheddar, Gouda, fromage blanc, and the award-winning Triple Peak Brie.
Cal Poly's cheeses are available for purchase at the Campus Market and the Cal Poly Creamery drive-thru, as well as online and at select retailers in San Luis Obispo, including California Fresh Market and Lassens. The Creamery also offers holiday cheese and wine gift boxes, which can be ordered from their website. These gift boxes include a selection of new and traditional cheeses, as well as student-made wine, chocolate, and other treats.
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Cal Poly students learn about cheese-making from dairy to selling
Cal Poly students are involved in the entire cheese-making process, from dairy to selling. The Cal Poly Creamery takes pride in the quality of its cheese and the story it represents. Students milk and care for the herd of Holstein and Jersey cows, and they continue through manufacturing, packaging, marketing, and selling the products. The learning process is hands-on and covers essential manufacturing practices, total quality assurance, food safety, and sanitation principles, as well as leadership, sales, and marketing skills.
Cal Poly Creamery produces seven varieties of gourmet cheeses, including cheddar, Gouda, fromage blanc, and the award-winning Triple Peak Brie, which won first place in the soft cheese category at the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge. In addition to traditional favourites, the Creamery has introduced three new cheeses, including Bella Montaña, a sweet, modern cheddar. Cal Poly cheeses are available for purchase at the Campus Market, the Cal Poly Creamery drive-thru, and several retailers in San Luis Obispo, such as California Fresh Market and Lassens.
The process of making cheese involves the use of rennet, and Cal Poly Creamery uses vegetarian rennet in its cheese, along with pasteurized cow's milk, salt, and a starter culture.
In addition to cheese, Cal Poly students are also involved in other food production and sales. They have been making jam for over 45 years, producing more than 15,000 jars annually in various flavours, including olallieberry, raspberry, blackberry, and strawberry. Students also produce chocolates, with flavours like milk chocolate, dark chocolate, raspberry crisp, toffee crunch, green tea matcha, and hot habanero. These chocolates are available for purchase online and at various on-campus and local retailers.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Cal Poly Creamery's white cheddar cheese uses vegetarian rennet, alongside pasteurized cow's milk, salt, and starter.
Students at the Cal Poly Creamery produce seven varieties of gourmet cheeses, including cheddar, gouda, fromage blanc, and the award-winning Triple Peak Brie.
Cal Poly cheese is available for purchase at the Campus Market and the Cal Poly Creamery drive-thru held each Friday from noon to 4 pm. You can also purchase it online and at several retailers in San Luis Obispo, such as California Fresh Market and Lassens.
