FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Who is CCC?

Columbia Community Creamery is a Doing Business As (DBA) organized by Eastern Washington Community Dairy, a nonprofit corporation in Washington State formed in February 2022. We are a 501(c)(3) with the IRS.

Where are you located?

519 North Park Street, Chewelah in Northeast Washington State about an hour north of Spokane and an hour south of Canada. We opened in June 2023.

What exactly do you do?

Our creamery makes cheese and other dairy products from small dairy farms. To do this we provide farmers a fair price and free technical assistance to improve their farms. We also give our community food security, nutrition, and education. All profits will be reinvested in our community.

What products will you offer?

Beginning in March 2026 we switched to primarily making cheese: Cheddars, Jacks, Feta, Skyr. We have fresh milk via our milk machine in Chewelah. We also have from-scratch ice cream, yogurt, cafe latte, and eggnog (seasonally). We will also resell other local dairy and farm products including meat sticks, artisan cheese, honey, sourdough, eggs, lime tarts, sausage, and bacon.

What do the labels mean?

A2A2: Milk with this protein variant is easier to digest as it is the same protein as in human milk. A genetic mutation in A1 milk causes part of the protein to break off and this can produce GI discomfort in some people.

Cream Top: milk is non-homogenized and the cream will rise to the top. Gently shake to reincorporate.

Vat Pasteurized: milk is gently heated to 145°F and held for 30 mins to preserve milk quality and prevent possible pathogens. This low level heating is very different from ultra pasteurization that sterilizes milk and reduces quality. Our milk can still be used to make cheese, yogurt, kefir and other dairy products!

Animal Rennet: using only pure natural animal rennet in our cheese creates a creamy cheese that is not bitter or rubbery. It does cost more, but makes a better cheese.

Local: We believe you should know your farmer if possible, and try to support your local food web as available. Most folks consider local as within our state of Washington, or the Pacific Northwest, but we also include parts of Northern Idaho and Western Montana. Buying local can reduce food miles, increase food security, bolster community farm family economies, and increase regional resiliency.

What does animal husbandry mean to CCC?

We believe everything begins with healthy farms. For dairy farming, beyond basics such as high quality bedding, water, ventilation, and nutrition, cows should exhibit natural behaviors, enjoy the outdoors, and have long lives. Dairy farming is a long term partnership between the farmer and the cow. There should be a healthy balance of work and life, a seasonality of existence, and an understanding of the value of the triple bottom line.

Why hasn’t this been done before?

There are many examples of successful nonprofit community food processors, but none that focus on milk. Dairy processing has more regulations and requires more equipment and expertise. These barriers have prevented the return of local dairy processing.

Why are you a nonprofit, don’t you need to make money?

Nonprofit is a tax status, we are a for purpose organization that must make money to pay farmers, staff, and overhead. Income beyond those expenses is invested back into the community. This way no shareholder or person can personally benefit or decide to put their needs above the needs of our farmers or community. This is also why we are not a cooperative (co-op). All profits are reinvested back into our community through local jobs, educational programs, public events, community donations, and paid taxes.