Frequently Asked Questions
What we get asked about the best cheese & charcuterie boards in the Bay Area:
Where do you deliver?
We deliver about 25 miles in all directions from our Oakland kitchen.
- SF proper - $25
- North Bay up to San Rafael - $40
- Upper Peninsula (From SF to Hwy 92) - $35
- Mid-Peninsula (Hwy 92 - Palo Alto) - $50
- East Bay - up to Richmond and down to San Leandro; as far east as the hills - $20
If you're not sure whether you fall in this zone, you can enter your zip code on the shopping cart page to double check. Note: this only works if you have something in your cart first!
We are happy to drive farther for custom orders with advanced notice - just use the custom order form to let us know what you’re looking for and where you’re located. An additional charge may be incurred.
Our minimum for delivery is $150 for Oakland/SF and $300 for the North Bay & the Peninsula. If you do not meet this minimum, our checkout form will not let you place an order for delivery. You can still place an order for pickup if you do not meet our minimums.
When can I pick up? When do you deliver?
Our pick up window is between 11am and 2pm. If you will be later than this window, please let us know in advance!
Our standard delivery hours are 12pm-6pm, Tuesday-Saturday. We offer two-hour time blocks and will let you know if we need to deliver outside of those windows for any reason (this is fairly rare). If you need delivery outside this window, please reach out to hello@ripencompany.com. Please note that a $30 fee may apply.
If a day is blocked out on our calendar, we're either closed for the day or sold out - sorry!
We are closed Sundays and Mondays and only make exceptions for large events.
Do you make vegetarian/vegan boards?
All boards have a vegetarian option that you'll see on the dropdown menu on each product page. Two of our boards (The Botanica and The Californian) are vegan by default. We can also make our cheese & meat board vegan with at least a week's advance notice (send us an email! hello@ripencompany.com).
What can I expect on my gathering board?
What shows up on our boards is dictated by what’s fresh and available from our partner growers and producers. It changes week to week! We think this emphasis on local & seasonal products is what makes us the best charcuterie boards in San Francisco. Click on each board type on the "Order Online" page to get an idea of what to expect. Each board will always be a bit of a surprise - and we think that’s the best part. We promise we'll use only the best stuff!
The vast majority of our products are grown or produced within 200 miles of the Bay Area, with a few exceptions (the most notable being cured meats, which are harder to find locally, but which we’ll always source from the USA). Although we love a stinky French cheese as much as any other hedonist, it’s important to us to showcase what’s available from our local farmers and to keep our food miles (the energy used to transport everything on a board) as low as possible.
Some of the producers we use on our boards include: Cowgirl Creamery, Stepladder Creamery, Cascade Creamery, Point Reyes Creamery, Rogue River Creamery, Fra'mani Cured Meats (Berkeley), and La Quercia prosciuttos.
Most of our jams and pickles are made in house and we source locally grown flowers and herbs to decorate our boards.
Will you stay for my event and clean up?
We are a drop-off service and do not provide staffing for standard online orders. We do offer a staffing option for custom events - fill out this form and let us know what you need!
How are my boards packaged? Will they be ok in the fridge overnight?
We plate our boards on disposable but elegant wood and package them in a very sturdy box that can be stacked and will keep them safe during transport. If you plan to enjoy your board the day after ordering, please let us know in the checkout form - we can wrap them in plastic wrap and package crunchy items separately so that everything stays fresh. We do not recommend ordering boards more than a day in advance of your event.
I’m not sure what size to order.
We have three sizes:
Small - feeds up to 11 as an appetizer
Medium - feeds up to 16 as an appetizer
Large - feeds up to 22 as an appetizer
When we say "as an appetizer," we mean there's enough food on there for each person to fill up a 6" appetizer plate. If you think folks will be hungrier than this, order on the heavy side. Consider what time of day your event is and whether your guests will be eating full meals before or after the boards (also whether there will be alcohol - beer loves cheese!)
Most people order a variety of different boards, but our cheese & cured meat boards have a lot of diversity on them, so just getting one type will work too!
I have a food allergy and/or I just really hate olives. Can you accommodate for that?
YES! It’s easy for us to accommodate allergies and preferences and we are happy to do so. There's a field in the order form you can use to indicate your preferences. Please note that while our boards are gluten free except for optional crackers, we are NOT operating out of a certified gluten free facility. Same goes for nuts or other allergens - we can remove them upon request, but can't guarantee anything's 100% allergen-free.