In early August, Straus Family Creamery, Petaluma, Calif., introduced a slow-cultured, locally made organic sour cream to San Francisco Bay-area grocery stores. The artisanal sour cream comes in two varieties — full fat and light — and is packaged in 16-ounce containers. And 16 is the magic number for this product because that’s how many hours it is cultured in small batches without any additives. The result is a naturally thick-textured sour cream with a clean, rich flavor.<br><br>

“I wanted to create a pure, simple sour cream that tastes great,” says Albert Straus, president. “It all starts with the milk. Although making sour cream without gums or stabilizers takes time, it’s worth the effort.  It’s more art than science to let the unique flavor of our milk come through with just the right balance of sweet and tangy.”