Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions: Topics
About Our Products
Mountain Priory Cheese is an artisanal cheese hand-made by the nuns at our monastery from local, raw cow milk, using a recipe uniquely developed at our Norbertine Priory in the Tehachapi Mountains. Aged at least two months, it matures into a mild and firm cheese.
Our cheese is made from local, raw cow milk.
At this time, we only offer cheese made from cow milk.
Our rennet is vegetarian.
Ordering Online
The price of the cheese includes the cost of our specialty, monastery-made cheese itself, as well as the ice packs and insulated packaging materials. Please note that it does not include the shipping costs.
When checking out:
1) In the “Billing details,” click on the drop-down menu that says: “Is this a gift? No, this is not a gift.” (The default option)
2) Next, select “Yes, this is a gift.”
3) In the “Shipping” section, ensure that the checkbox “Ship to a different address” is selected.
4) Enter the complete address for your gift recipient.
5) Optional: In “Order Notes,” you may enter a gift message.
Please note that unless otherwise requested, we include in each gift order a gift card giving the buyer’s name, as well as any gift message provided by the buyer. We do not include a receipt or other cost-related information.
Please contact us immediately.
Please note that the actual shipping cost for the corrected address may differ from that calculated by our website, and that if your order has already been shipped and needs to be re-directed by UPS, there may be an additional fee.
To cancel an order which has already been placed, please contact us as soon as possible.
Please note that we are unable to offer refunds if your order has already been shipped.
Due to the perishable nature of the cheese, we are ordinarily unable to accept returns and offer refunds. Please contact us if you have any concerns about your order.
Shipping
Our monastery cheese products are shrink wrapped with a label and mini-brochure attached, and shipped with ice packs in a padded insulated mailer to ensure freshness upon arrival. Bulk orders are shipped in boxes with ice packs and an insulated liner.
To ensure freshness, all cheese is shipped via a UPS 2 or 3 day shipping service (HI Excluded). The cheese is carefully packaged with ice packs so that you can enjoy it as if it were fresh from our kitchen.
To ensure freshness, our usual shipping days are Mondays/Tuesdays. All circumstances being equal, orders received by the end of the day Friday will normally be shipped at the beginning of the following week via 2 or 3 day shipping.
You will receive an automatically-generated email informing you that your package has left our monastery for shipping.
If you have not received this email, please consider checking your Junk/Spam mail and marking it as “Never Block Sender.”
Given the perishable nature of the cheese, all orders are shipped via a UPS 2 or 3 day shipping service to ensure freshness (depending on the destination and the season, the typical services are UPS Ground for nearby destinations and UPS 2nd Day Air for more distant ones).
Please know that we strive to give you the most affordable shipping rates; as a cloistered monastery of nuns, located in the mountains away from the hustle and bustle of the city, shipping costs may be somewhat higher than one might anticipate with other locales. Should you have any questions, please contact us, and may God reward you for your understanding and prayerful support…
Additional shipping charges may be invoiced to the customer for the following scenarios (non-exhaustive):
– If UPS fees are incurred due to an incorrect or incomplete shipping address entered by the customer, e.g. wrong address number, misspelled street names, missing apartment number, etc.
– If there is a significant and unexpected increase in UPS shipping prices between the time of order/payment and delivery.
All circumstances being equal, we typically ship cheese orders on Monday/Tuesday of each week. Given the perishable nature of the cheese, it should be refrigerated upon arrival. If you will be traveling and unable to receive it, please kindly consider placing your order closer to the time when you will be home.
If your order has already been placed, please contact us.
We are unable to ship to PO Box addresses.
Dear Friends in Christ, please note that we are not shipping our cheese during the summer months, as the heat may affect the quality of the cheese during transit. The last shipment is on Tuesday, June 3rd. For this last shipment, please place your order before 3:30 PM PST on Friday, May 30th. God-willing, our shipping season will resume in the fall, when we will again begin accepting online orders. Our cheese remains available year-round for in-person purchases at our monastery gift shop. We thank you for your support, and be assured of our prayers.
During the hot summer months we do not ship our cheese, as the heat waves may affect the quality of the cheese during transit.
(Our shipping season may be subject to change depending on weather conditions, and this will be indicated on our website.)
Our Norbertine cheese is available for purchase year-round in our on-site monastery gift shop.
We ship our monastery cheese anywhere in the US, including Alaska and Hawaii. Please note that 2-day delivery is not guaranteed for some destinations in Hawaii.
We are unable to ship to international destinations due both to customs restrictions and the perishable nature of the cheese.
Storage
Please refrigerate the cheese upon arrival.
The cheese will keep fresh in the refrigerator for about a month if kept in its vacuum-sealed bag.
Once the cheese is removed from the vacuum-sealed bag, we recommend that it be enjoyed within a week. For best storing results, keep in an airtight container.
Our monastery cheese may also be frozen and enjoyed later.
After removing the cheese from the vacuum-sealed bag, cut off the outer rind and enjoy within a week. It is delicious eaten alone or with crackers, or in salads, sandwiches, and other dishes. Original Mountain Priory is also a favorite paired with one of our monastery berry jams.
Yes, our cheese freezes well, retaining its taste and quality. It also may be shredded and frozen for convenience.
Local Pick-ups
Yes. When purchasing cheese online, please select “California” as the state for the shipping address. Next, for the shipping: choose the “Local pickup” option (and no shipping charges will be invoiced). Please kindly email or call us before visiting to ensure that your order is ready for pick-up.
Local, In-person Purchases
Yes, our Mountain Priory Cheese is available at our monastery gift shop (17831 Water Canyon Road, Tehachapi, CA 93561). We offer a variety of sizes there, including additional smaller “snack” sizes not offered online.
No, unless it is a large or very specific order, you do not need to place your cheese order before you visit, as we keep a variety of sizes in stock. You are welcome to contact us in advance, however, so that we can anticipate your arrival and look forward to serving you!
Our gift shop hours are typically 10:00-11:30 and 2:30 to 4:50 daily (on some Friday afternoons, 2:30 to 4:10 p.m.). As our schedule may change without notice, you are welcome to contact us before your visit to confirm our hours.
We accept payments in cash, credit card, and checks.
Yes, guests are welcome to join us for Holy Mass at 8:00 a.m. each morning (on some Fridays, 5:00 p.m.). Guests are also welcome to pray in the chapel during the day, and to join us for the Liturgy of the Hours and other prayers at the times listed on our schedule. As our schedule may change without notice, you are welcome to contact us in advance to confirm our Mass times and other times of prayer.