728 Verified 5-star Reviews

Get $40 in Free Artisan Cheese When You Join Stepladder Cheese Club

Delight your Friends with Exclusive Cheeses for Members Only

Get 1.5 Pounds of Healthy and Unforgettably Delicious Cheese

Make the Perfect Charcuterie Board with Curated Pairings like Stepladder Honey, Artisanal Jams and Local Salamis

Visit the Animals with $25 Off Stepladder Farm & Creamery Tours

Save all Year Long with Discounts on our Website and at our Farm

Sold at 15+ Michelin Star Restaurants, Try California's Finest Artisan Cheese

Every unique bite is a testament to our cared-for animals and old fashioned techniques that delivers unique tastes and textures to your palate.

Sold at 15+ Michelin Star Restaurants, Try California's finest artisan cheese

Every unique bite is a testament to our cared-for animals and old fashioned techniques that delivers unique tastes and textures to your palate.

"The finest goat milk cheeses"

“Multi-award-winning artisanal cheeses”

“Mouthwatering Cheese”

Cheese Club's Exclusive Benefits

1 Cheese Club

5 Exclusive Benefits

One Exclusive Cheese in Every Shipment - This Winter it's "Bob Ross"

In each of these special deliveries, you'll discover a cheese marvel available only to our members. Imagine indulging in exclusive past Cheese Club ONLY creations like triple crème cheeses adorned with fresh truffle, clothbound goat cheddar, and cherry-smoked jack, direct from the depths of our cheese caves.


This season's shipment is Bob Ross, it's our take on a Raclette-style cheese, known for its distinctive aromatic smell and excellent melting properties—perfect for a fondue night or melting on top of literally anything. It’s has a bit of a funky smell, but that’s part of the charm.


Expect fudgy, creamy, and salty flavors, with hints of lactic, earthy, and meaty notes. There’s a touch of mushroom, honey, and even some fruitiness to round out the flavor profile.

A person holding a round wheel of cheese with a bottle in the background.

1.5 Pounds of Cheese in 4 Flavors - Every 3 Months

Our expert cheesemakers become your personal guides, curating 1.5 pounds of extraordinary farmstead cheeses in 4 flavors, including one club-exclusive variety.

Specialty Artisan Pairing & Rustic Bakery Crackers

Each shipment is complemented with specially chosen pairings—think artisanal Stepladder honey, local jam, premium salami, and Rustic Bakery Crackers.

Discount Creamery Tours For You & up to 20 Friends

Delight in an exclusive $25 discount person on your Creamery Tour, welcoming up to 20 guests to share in the experience.

Member Only Add-On's & 10% OFF all Orders

Have the chance to buy more cheeses and special add-ons at exclusive member prices. If our stock permits, you can increase your share of member-exclusive cheeses.

Bob Ross Exclusive Cheese

Tasting Notes

Expect fudgy, creamy, and salty flavors, with hints of lactic, earthy, and meaty notes. There’s a touch of mushroom, honey, and even some fruitiness to round out the flavor profile. And don’t skip the rind—it’s 100% edible and adds even more depth to the cheese.

  • Style - Gouda

  • Milk Source - Goat Milk

  • Age - 6 months

  • Rennet - Vegetarian

Cheese Characteristics

Soft

Firm

Approachable

Adventurous

Mild

Sharp

Spreadable

Grateable

Infinite Regress: Invalid URL or sensitive/explicit content.

Beverage Pairings

  • Chenin/Viognier


Snowflake icon with intricately patterned branches.

Charcuterie Pairings

  • Figs

  • Prosciutto

A dog sticks its head through a curtain, peeking out.

Awards

  • Bronze: American Cheese Society 2023

A black silhouette of a person dancing energetically.

Special Notes

Our farmstead Goat Gouda aged to perfection.

A tray with cheese, crackers, marmalade jar, and a Stepladder Ranch & Creamery booklet.

Here's How it Works

The Stepladder Cheese Club box is incredibly easy to buy and use. All you have to do is order it online and it will arrive at your doorstep.

STEP 1

Join The Club Now

STEP 2

Receive Your Box Quartlery

STEP 3

Savor With Friends

728 Verified 5-star Reviews

Get Started With Your Stepladder Cheese Club

One Exclusive Cheese for Members Only

1.5 Pounds of Cheese in 4 Flavors

A pairing item. Previous shipments have featured our famous Avocado Blossom Honey, cured meat and marmalade.

$25 Off Stepladder Farm & Creamery Tours

Discount add ons & 10% off all other orders

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

Get $40 Dollars in FREE Cheese with your first shipment.

Receive a FREE Lumberjack, Big Sur and Marinated Fromage Blanc when you checkout now.

"I intended to eat half and leave the rest, but I liked it so much... I got more crackers and finished it off."

— KC, Cheese Club member

Past Cheese Club Exclusives

Burning Love

Burning Love is a large-format cow's milk triple crème dusted with a blend of Hungarian Sweet Paprika, Sweet Calabrian Chili Powder and Pasilla Negro Chili Powder.

Super Bloom

Super Bloom is a large format cow's milk bloomy rind triple crème molded in the shape of a heart with the addition of rose, cornflower and marigold petals.

Gorda

Gorda is a funky flavored, semi-soft goat's milk and cow's milk cheese.

Cabrillo Grande Reserve

Cabrillo Grande Reserve is the extra-aged version of our year-round, top-selling cheese, Cabrillo, aging for over 2 years.

Labnah

Labneh is Mediterranean style yogurt cheese that dates back over 2,000 years. It's a light, refreshing and a versatile cheese. It's is a fresh cow's milk yogurt strained to the consistency of a soft spreadable cheese and lightly salted to accentuate that tart zip a fresh yogurt has.

Clothbound Goat Cheddar

Clothbound Goat Cheddar is made in the traditional English cheddar style with 100% farmstead goat's milk. We love the tart acidity and herbaceous notes of the goat's milk, and the sweet milk aroma. It pairs great with dry cider, hoppy beers, and acidic white wines.

Meet the creamery
owners

MICHELLE & JACK RUDOLPH

Stepladder was originally founded in 1870 as a cattle ranch and part of the Harmony Valley Creamery Association. Over the last century, the property has changed hands, and operations, several times before being acquired by Jack and Michelle Rudolph’s family.

In 2015, Jack and Michelle re-converted the 1870s ranch back into a licensed creamery operation – turning their hobby interest in farmstead cheesemaking into a beloved California Central Coast staple.

Meet the creamery owners

Michelle & Jack Rudolph

In 2015, Jack and Michelle re-converted the 1870s ranch back into a licensed creamery operation – turning their hobby interest in farmstead cheesemaking into a beloved California Central Coast staple.

Stepladder was originally founded in 1870 as a cattle ranch and part of the Harmony Valley Creamery Association. Over the last century, the property has changed hands, and operations, several times before being acquired by Jack and Michelle Rudolph’s family.

Sustainable from Start to End

STEPLADDER CREAMERY

Being a sustainable ranch and creamery is non-negotiable for us. We love where we live and work, and want to keep it just as beautiful as when we got here.

How do we stay sustainable?

Solar-Power

A 50KW solar array on the farm produces roughly 90 percent of the energy we use

Water Catchments

We rely on spring water and a large rain catchment refreshed by the annual rain as our main source

Circular Waste-Reduction

We utilize the manure from the goats to fertilize our orchards, and free-roaming Stepladder piggies receive the spent whey from the creamery and get to eat any unsellable harvested fruit and veg.

Watch The Stepladder Creamery Story

From 100+ years of Central California history to our dairy goat princess lifestyle, watch the Stepladder Creamery story.

Frequently asked questions