Cowgirl Creamery Collection
This collection consists of Cowgirl Creamery business records, advertising, and company planning. Also included are recipes and cookbooks, correspondence, planning and information from food-related organizations, and materials regarding cheese making. These documents are representative of Sue Conley and Peggy Smith's involvement in organic farming initiatives and cheesemaking, and their establishing the Cowgirl Creamery.
Series I: Business Records (1992-2019) includes planning, expansion, advertising, financial, and other business records related to Cowgirl Creamery. This series is broken down into seven sub-series which are guided by their function within the business. Many of these materials were grouped by the creators within binders; whenever possible, these items were kept together.
Series II: Personal Papers (1978-2018) documents other ventures of Conley and Smith including material related to Chez Panisse and Bette's Oceanview Diner as well as personal correspondence, photographs, and more. This series includes six sub-series which are organized by date, when possible.
Series III: Organizations (1995-2016) documents dairy, food, and agriculture organizations in which Conley and Smith have been involved, particularly the Marin Agricultural Land Trust and the American Cheese Society. The series is divided into six sub-series by organization.
Series IV: Publications (1981-2019) includes national and international publications such as magazines, journals, newspaper articles, etc. which feature Conley, Smith, the Creamery, and/or their products. These materials are arranged chronologically.
Series V: Dairy Industry (1981-2017) includes three sub-series of material on general cheesemaking as well as documents from other industry cheesemakers, dairies, and creameries.
Series VI: Awards (2010-2016) consists of awards and trophies.
Series VII: Oversize Material (2001-2017) includes large textiles, sketches, architectural drawings, and posters.
Series VIII: Cookbooks (1886-2018) includes seventy cookbooks that have been arranged alphabetically by title into six boxes. These cookbooks span a variety of topics, with many pertaining to cheese and cheese production. Each book has a note indicating the relevant content within such as ownership inscriptions, inscriptions from authors, mentions of Conley, Smith and Cowgirl Creamery and handwritten notes. Some are also marked as store copies of Tomales Bay Foods and Cowgirl Creamery.
Dates
- 1886-2019
- Majority of material found within 1978-2019
Conditions Governing Access
Collections are stored offsite, and a minimum of 2 business days are needed to retrieve these items for use. Researchers interested in consulting any of the collections are advised to contact Special Collections.
Conditions Governing Use
The copyright interests in this collection remain with the creator. For more information, contact Special Collections.
Extent
15 Linear Feet (15 boxes [12 full boxes, 1 quarter box, 2 oversize boxes])
Overview
This collection consists of Cowgirl Creamery business records, advertising, and company planning. Also included are recipes and cookbooks, correspondence, planning and information from food-related organizations, and materials regarding cheese making. These documents are representative of Sue Conley and Peggy Smith's involvement in organic farming initiatives and cheese making, and their establishing the Cowgirl Creamery.
Biographical / Historical
Sue Conley and Peggy Smith met when they attended University of Tennessee in the 1970s. When they graduated in 1976, they took a self-proclaimed "hippie trip" to San Francisco where Sue began work as a co-owner of Bette’s Oceanview Diner and Peggy was a chef for Chez Panisse and did recipe consultation for other kitchens. In the 1990s they launched Tomales Bay Foods, a distribution point for local organic farmers and producers in West Marin County. In 1997, the two created Cowgirl Creamery, using Straus Family Creamery organic milk and expanded the business over the years, managing five creamery distribution locations at its height. Cowgirl Creamery cheese has been featured in a number of national and international publications. It is distributed nationwide through Whole Foods. In 2016, Conley and Smith sold the company to Emmi, a Swiss dairy producer, and began stepping back from management roles. They continue to work with local agricultural organizations, as they have since the early 2000s, serving in board and leadership roles for Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT), the American Cheese Society (ACS), and Slow Food Nation.
Arrangement
This collection is stored in fifteen boxes. The material is arranged into eight series based on context and object format.
- Series I: Business Records, 1992-2019
- Series II: Personal Papers, 1978-2018
- Series III: Organizations, 1990-2016
- Series IV: Publications, 1981-2019
- Series V: Dairy Industry, 1981-2017
- Series VI: Awards, 2010-2016
- Series VII: Oversize, 2001-2017
- Series VIII: Cookbooks, 1886-2018
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Cowgirl Creamery (Sue Conley and Peggy Smith) in 2022.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository