By Gordon Edgar–
(Editor’s Note: Rainbow Grocery Cooperative this year is celebrating its 50th Anniversary. The store’s longevity is well-deserved and valued because this neighborhood gem—forever queer and environmentally friendly, and a lifeline for countless small businesses whose products are sold at the co-op—has many hard-to-beat departments. One of them is cheese! As the dedicated, talented staff at Rainbow say, “We love cheese to the point of obsession.”
Here at the San Francisco Bay Times, many of us agree and have spent hours mesmerized by the co-op’s huge selection of domestic, imported, organic, handmade, rennet-less, raw, goat, sheep, cow, vegan, water buffalo, and other cheeses. The Lesbian Feta couldn’t get any more Rainbow! It’s delicious and made exclusively from the milk of Lesbian breed sheep that graze on the sun-and-sea splashed hills around the village of Agra, Lesbos.
Each cheese has its own unique story, though, and has been lovingly selected by cheesemonger Gordon Edgar. He has worked at Rainbow for over three decades and is an internationally renowned expert on all things cheese. In this new column for the Bay Times, he will share some of that savvy and hopefully turn you into a turophile—lover and connoisseur of cheese—if you are not one already.)
Much of the talk at the cheese counter these days is, unfortunately, about tariffs, not what awesome cheeses we are sampling out that day. Imported cheese is already expensive, so the threat of capricious and random new tariffs is stressing out cheese eaters and, to be honest, cheesemongers. Cheese can be one of the best comfort foods, but there is little comfort in international food importing these days.
Under current policies, tariffs on products from most cheese-exporting countries went up 10% at the beginning of April. While, obviously, that will affect American consumers less than the threatened 20%–31% increases, the situation is still somewhat volatile. Also, in some cases, like certain sheep milk cheese, there are tariffs where there never were before.
Where folks will mostly feel this is in the range of $10–$25/lb. cheeses that are the backbone of any grocery store cheese selection. A lot of these are the equivalent of our commodity cheeses—cheddar, Monterey Jack, domestic Swiss, etc.—in their home countries, so have been tasty and relatively affordable even after traveling across the world. The younger the cheese is, the quicker you will see the increases because a lot of imported cheese we sell was already in the country before the tariffs went into effect.
I should also note that many U.S.-produced cheeses will also eventually go up in price as well. Most packaging and cheesemaking equipment is made outside the U.S. Also, some American companies, especially goat cheese producers, supplement their local milk with frozen curd from other countries.
So, what can you do (besides take political action)? My advice is to use this month to take advantage of cheese that is still at pre-tariff prices and at promotional pricing. Here are some great options:
Red Barn 5-Year-Aged Cheddar 16.99/lb. regularly 21.99/lb.
Red Barn only makes cheese from farms that are humane-certified, owner-operated, and have fewer than one hundred cows. And they make great traditional Wisconsin cheddars. It is super-sharp, bite-y, and fruity.
Ewenique 19.99/lb. regularly 34.99/lb.
This is an aged sheep cheese from Paso Robles. Due to sheep genetics, we don’t make a lot of sheep cheese in the U.S., but the ones made here can be incredible. Reggie Jones at Central Coast Creamery makes a lot of great cheese, but this may be my favorite. It is sweet, milky, earthy, and sometimes has those little crunchy bits you love. This is an incredible price while it lasts.
Iberico 9.99/lb. regularly 24.89/lb.
I don’t think this will last all month, but a couple hundred pounds just got delivered. It’s like a Manchego, but with goat, sheep, and cow milk, and you definitely taste all three. Usually, we think of this as a tapas or cheese-plate kind of cheese, but at this price, it’s good for any use. Get it while you can.
Mild Cheddar/Monterey Jack 5.99/lb. (everyday low price, but can change due to commodity trading)
We have always kept margins low on “People’s cheeses” like mild cheddar and Monterey Jack for our neighbors who need protein at the lowest possible price. It’s always easy to take a recipe and, at least partially, substitute these bargain cheeses. Your dollar will go farther for sure.
Good Deal Grotto
We have a sale area—affectionately known as “Good Deal Grotto”—where we sell off cheese that we are able to buy in cheap lots. Sometimes this cheese lasts a day, sometimes months, but it’s our way of passing on savings to you. If you don’t know where it is, ask a cheese worker and then check it out whenever you shop. You never know what you will find on a given day. Everything in here is either at least 20% off or under $15/lb.
Since Rainbow Grocery is a worker-owned cooperative, we are rooted in the Bay Area. We live here, work here, and a large percentage of the money you spend here stays in the community. We’ll get through these times together.
Gordon Edgar loves cheese and worker co-ops and has been combining these infatuations as the cheese buyer for Rainbow Grocery Cooperative since 1994. He serves on the American Cheese Society Judging and Competition Committee and is a member of the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers. Edgar has written two books on cheese”Cheesemonger” (2010) and “Cheddar” (2015)—and lives in San Francisco with his adorable white mini schnauzer named Fillmore Grumble. He writes about grief, and sometimes cheese, at https://bit.ly/42IwYf0
Over the Rainbow Cheese Counter
Published on May 8, 2025
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