Our Mission

The Cheese Department strives to be the finest cheese department in our area, with the best selection of specialty cheeses and very competitive price structure.
We actively search out handmade cheeses from small farmers, cheeses that are unique and distinctive. We stay clear of processed cheeses, hormones and unsafe additives in cheese.

Check out our selection of made in New Mexico goat and cow milk cheeses.
We seek to service a wide range of customers: those looking for the finest cheese in the world, families looking for reasonably priced, "clean" everyday cheese, goat and sheep cheese lovers, raw milk cheese aficionados, rennet-free cheese lovers, low-fat and alternative cheese eaters.

Cheese Is Nutritious

Cheese is an exceptional food, providing proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. By weight cheese contains more protein than meat, eggs or fish. Dairy products provide one of the most important minerals: calcium.

The vitamins available in cheese are A, B1, B2, C and niacin. (Vitamin D is added to milk to increase its nutritional value. We can naturally synthesize Vitamin D through exposure to sunshine.) Cheese such as Emmental or Gruyere (pressed cheeses) have the highest concentration of these nutrients, but also the highest number of calories.
Fat content is related, in part, to the caloric value of cheese; generally the higher the fat, the higher the calories. Because fat is expressed in terms of dry matter, a high moisture cheese can have less fat than the same amount of a lower moisture cheese. So, comparing the same amounts of Emmental and Camembert, Emmental will actually have a higher fat content because it has less moisture. Go figure! But Parmesan, for example, is high in nutrients and low in fats. The same is true of any cheeses made from skimmed milk.
Read More: Cheese FAQ & Glossary of Cheese Terms

Meat & Fish

Beyond fresh, our meats are natural and organic. Our mission is to sell meats that do not contain hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides and come from animals that are not fed animal protein or GMO's. We do not support factory farms or feed lot production, poor living conditions or inhumane treatment.

The practice of feeding cattle the ground up remains of their same species appears to cause bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as “Mad Cow disease.  This horrific disease destroys the central nervous system and brain, and can be transferred across the species barrier to infect humans who eat diseased cows. In humans it can have a very long latency period, as its human counterpart Creutzfeld-Jakob disease.  National Organic rules do not allow the feeding of animal by-products, animals are fed 100 percent organic feed. By choosing organic meat and dairy products, you are protected  form exposure.

All our beef is certified organic raised and harvested in New Mexico. We also carry a fine selection of locally produced, organic and/or grass-fed lamb and chicken   All meat is still cut by hand at our stores.

We participate in the Seafood Watch Program that is a project of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Our participation means that all our fish and seafood is chosen with their environmentally friendly seafood practices as a guide. Also, we are a signatory to the U.S. Humane Society Seal Protection Campaign, that is working to ensure Canadian fisher people refrain from commercial seal hunting. Ask for our Seafood Watch Pocket Guides in all our stores.

If you have something special in mind—a whole tuna or salmon or a special cut of meat, just ask at any of our meat counters.
ABQ- Nob Hill 505-265-4631, ABQ Valley 505-242-8800, Santa Fe 505-984-2852