Frequently Asked Questions 

At the time that the order is placed, you will receive an automatically-generated email with a copy of the details of your order.
If you have not received this email, please check your Spam/Junk mail and consider marking it as “Never Block Sender.”

Please contact us immediately.
Also, 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 redirected by UPS, there may be an additional fee.

To cancel an order that 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.

When checking out:

1. In the “Shipping & Delivery” section, enter the complete address for your gift recipient.
2. Under phone number, you may enter your own number (rather than your gift recipient's) if preferred.
3. Then, click on checkbox under “Is this a gift?” that says, “This is a gift.”
4. Optional: In “Gift Message,” you may enter a gift message.
5. In the “Payment information” section, be sure to enter your correct billing address.

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 if you have any concerns about your order.

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.

Additionally, given the perishable nature of our cheese, all cheese 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).

Our online shop is configured to ship anywhere in the continental US, including Alaska and Hawaii. If you are interested in having items shipped to international destinations, please contact us.

For cheese orders, we ship anywhere in the US, including Alaska and Hawaii. However, please note that 2-day delivery is not guaranteed for some destinations in Hawaii. We are unable to ship our cheese to international destinations due both to customs restrictions and the perishable nature of the cheese.

For most orders, our usual shipping days are Tuesdays/Wednesdays.

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 Spam/Junk mail and marking it as “Never Block Sender.”

For all cheese orders, to ensure freshness, our usual shipping days are Tuesdays. All circumstances being equal, cheese 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.

Additional handling charges may be invoiced to the customer for the following scenarios (non-exhaustive):

• Extra-large orders
• Special packaging requests made by customer

Please contact us if you have any questions.

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.

For most orders, we are not able to ship to PO Box addresses, specifically:

• For orders shipped via any UPS services (i.e. UPS 2nd-day Air, UPS 3 Day Select, UPS Ground Saver, etc.), we are unable to ship to PO Box addresses.
• For orders of cheese, we are unable to ship to PO Box addresses.

For orders shipped via USPS services, we are able to ship to PO Box addresses.

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.

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.

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. Our 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.

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.

Yes. When purchasing online, please choose the “IN-STORE PICKUP” option (and no shipping charges will be invoiced). Please kindly allow for 48 hours, as well as emailing or calling us before visiting to ensure that your order is ready for pick-up.

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. For more information and changes to our hours, please click here. 

We accept payments in cash, credit card, and checks.

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!

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. For more information, please click here.