About Us- Our Story
Hi! I’m Cheri. I used to love dairy foods like milk, cheese, and ice
cream. But one day my tummy started saying “NO WAY!” Every time I ate dairy, I got bad problems and felt like I swallowed a big, heavy bowling ball.
The doctor said I had multiple food allergies including milk. That meant
no more real milk for me. I had to learn how to cook all over again—without
dairy or gluten.
At first, everything was super hard. My bread came out like rocks. My
gravy was watery and gross. None of the alt milks from the store worked right in recipes. They tasted okay in coffee, but in pudding or soup? Yuck!
Non-dairy milk substitutes have always been a problem for cooking.
Most substitutes taste okay in coffee, but none work very well in recipes.
I wanted Gravy!
I REALLY missed biscuits and gravy. Giving up gravy was NOT an option. I
had to make a dairy-free milk that actually worked for gravy.
So, I started experimenting in my kitchen with my engineer husband Chris.
We tested tons of ideas. We even made up a “pudding test.” Regular milk makes
thick pudding where a spoon can stand up. Fake milks? The spoon falls right
over.
My chef friend Eileen said “Why not try hazelnuts?” We did and our
journey began.
Many nuts and grains can be used to make a dairy-free milk alternative but hazelnuts have some unique properties that make them ideal for the task.
How far would you go for gravy?
Would you spend two and a half years developing a dairy-free milk? We did.
We tried:
- multiple variatals of hazelnuts to make the best milk
- Soaked nuts (too slow and messy)
- Using different special machines to grind them
- Many roasting schedules until we found one that made the hazelnuts just right for a light milk-like taste
- Many grind schedules until the grind was super-smooth
- different methods to make the color nice and milky-white
After many trials, we finally passed the gravy test!
"The first time I made gravy with our new dairy-free milk, I actually cried happy tears."
I began using it for my recipes...
When friends came over for dinner, they were amazed and wanted to try it. Soon we began sharing mason jars full of our milk with friends and family.
They told us it was great and said "You ought to go out and sell this stuff". So off we went! We made our way through all permits, approvals. and paperwork, but one issue remained. How to pack it.
We looked at how the big companies use bottles and cartons. That’s expensive. We also looked at why people have to buy so many different products to get milk, half and half and cream. We’re just a small company, so we invented something better: Cheri’s HazelCream in premeasured pods and an easy-to-store standup pouch!
We don’t add water so that means it’s shelf-stable (no fridge needed until you mix it). Its easier to store, and perfect for travel, camping or small kitchens.
The other big plus is because you add your own water, you are in control! You can make any
liquid dairy starting with milk, then ½ & ½, cream, heavy cream and evaporated milk. Add a few extras to make buttermilk, Mexican crema, even sweetened condensed milk.
Now you know the backstory of how we came to make Cheri’s HazelCream.
We hope it solves your dairy-free cooking challenges and helps you create more great tasting meals that your whole family will enjoy.
Cheri's HazelCream is a proud supporter of the Tunnels to Tower foundation
Site Copyright 2021-2026 RCP Foods LLC,
All Rights Reserved
This site uses Microsoft Clarity to improve how users use our website. By using our site, you agree that we and Microsoft can collect and use this data for this purpose. See our Site use and Privact Policy for more details.
