Caring for your DIVA cheeses
Plant cheeses are live products, so it is important for them to be stored and cared for correctly to maximise their shelf life and keep them fresher for longer. Follow the pointers below to keep your cheeses in tip-top condition!
We recommend storing your cheeses wrapped in baking paper inside a sealed plastic container. Baking paper should be replaced weekly for optimum freshness. If the container develops moisture, simply wipe with a paper towel or cloth.
All cheeses must be consumed within 1 week. All cheeses freeze well! It is best to freeze your cheeses unwrapped (baking parchment is likely to stick to the cheese when frozen) in a sealed plastic container. The cheeses will last a minimum of 6 months in the freezer.
Bloom-rind varieties (the Kumarabert & Kumarabert Blue) should be kept in aluminium foil or wax paper as baking parchment will stick to their coats. The paper the Kumarabert comes in will work well - but ensure you wrap it completely to stop the cheese from drying out.
Have a question? Message us on Facebook or email us at contact@divaplantcheese.com
Shipping Information
We ship nationwide to anywhere in New Zealand. We offer FREE shipping on all orders over $100 to urban addresses / $150 to rural & non-urban addresses.
PACKAGING
Depending on your location, we may deep-freeze chill your cheeses (except the Kumarabert varieties) unless otherwise requested. This does not affect the quality or texture of the cheese in any way - it ensures your cheeses will arrive fresh and cold.
​
Packages are padded with recyclable insulation and reusable ice gel packs to keep cheeses at optimum temperature. We recommend refrigerating for a few hours on arrival before consuming.
DISPATCH
We dispatch parcels via overnight perishable courier on Tuesdays only. As our cheeses are handmade to order, if we do not have your item in stock, it will be sent out the following week. Please contact us if you have any queries. Kumarabert varieties are on a pre-order basis as they require 7-10 days to grow their beautiful white rinds, so please bear with us and rest assured we are taking care of your order.
If you require your parcel to be delivered on a certain day, please contact us to arrange this. We cannot deliver on the weekends.
RURAL ADDRESSES
Please select RURAL Perishable Shipping at the checkout if you live at a rural or non-urban address - this ensures we can add extra ice and double wrap your parcel so it arrives fresh and chilled. your parcel may take a little longer to be delivered (1-3 business days) due to the unpredictable nature of rural courier deliveries.
If you do not select RURAL Perishable Shipping at the checkout and your address comes up in our system as rural or non-urban, we will contact you and let you know.
IMPORTANT: Please note that all orders to RD or non-urban addresses are at the buyer's own risk. As our products are perishable and we do not have control over courier deliveries, we cannot take responsibility for orders which arrive late. Please keep an eye on your tracking and let us know at the earliest opportunity if you are concerned about your order arriving late. We will do our best to help by contacting our NZ Courier manager on your behalf, but we cannot guarantee delivery.
TRACKING YOUR PARCEL
Once your order has been dispatched, you will receive a tracking link via email from our courier company. During busy times of the year, such as Christmas & New Year, we encourage you to check the tracking of your parcel regularly and inform us with any concerns you may have (i.e. if your parcel is over 36 hours late).
DELIVERY
Your parcel will be marked with 'Authority to Leave' so it will be left either in your letterbox or on your doorstep. You will notice at the checkout it is required to give instructions on where the courier should leave your parcel. If your letterbox or front doorstep/porch is in shade then that's great, but if it's not, it's a good idea to provide another location, or pop a chilly bin/bag on your doorstep.
Once delivered, we cannot accept responsibility for parcels that are unattended to by you. If you wish to sign for your parcel, please request this using the notes section at the checkout. If you are not home to sign for your parcel, it will be redirected back to your nearest depot and you will need to collect it as soon as possible. Again, we cannot take responsibility for unattended parcels.