Friends and fellow cheese lovers: First of all, we want to thank you for all the support over the past year as we’ve navigated through the COVID pandemic.
We implemented new business tactics to stay afloat, and we’re so thankful for all of you ordering cheese from us online and at farmers’ markets and retailers. We know the pandemic caused strain on your ability to visit our farm, meet the goats and see the creamery in person. We have appreciated your patience as we’ve stayed closed.
That being said, we understand that the state of California is reopening with daily life returning to a somewhat new normal. We receive several emails daily about the status of us reopening, so we want to take this opportunity to answer your questions.
Thank you again for all the support.
-Michelle and Jack Rudolph, Stepladder Ranch & Creamery owners
When are you reopening?
The short answer: We’re not sure, but we’re staying closed for all public tours and site visits through the end of 2021.
The long answer: Although we’ve missed hosting people from near and far at our farm, during the pandemic we were able to refocus all of our attention on our core elements: caring for our orchards, animals, staff, and making great cheese.
To retain our staff and adapt quickly to an uncertain world, this involved a huge amount of pivoting and flexibility. We reassigned our hospitality staff members into different roles to keep them employed. We also converted our tasting room into an online order fulfillment center. As many small business owners would agree - we were all stretched very thin while keeping everything going.
That being said, we are still unsure if or when we will reopen for tours. We want to remain focused on continuing to provide the best life imaginable for our animals, making great cheese, having happy employees, and are not yet ready for the additional commitment of providing a great on-farm experience to our visitors. We are thoughtfully considering what a new tour program might look like in the future, but it likely does not resemble what it looked like in the past. We are also hard at work helping you connect with our farm from afar through our blog, Youtube channel, and social media platforms. Frank (the border collie that wouldn’t leave you alone) misses you all more than you’ll ever know.
How can I stay connected to and support the creamery and goats?
We’re so excited to be able to ship our cheese around the country. Ordering online is a great way to eat our cheese and stay connected with our products. We’re looking into new ways to offer virtual tours and tastings to deepen that connection as well. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, and check out our YouTube channel for videos from this year’s kidding season, behind-the-scenes looks at some of our cheeses and more.
Caring for our goats the way we do is expensive. We love providing them with amazing care and a high quality of life - there are not many other goats that get handcrafted herbal supplements on a weekly basis. A portion of your purchase of our cheese and products goes directly to keeping the herd happy, healthy and able to produce fresh milk for our cheese.
Our Quarterly Cheese Club, Cheese Memberships, and Sponsor a Goat program are three great ways to show your ongoing support for our amazing, talented creamery crew and our milking does! Learn more about our cheese club and memberships here. Details about Sponsor a Goat coming soon.
I still have more questions…
Send us an email at info@stepladdercreamery.com if you want to talk in more detail about anything. We appreciate you and want to hear from you.
