A top-down look at a halved MouCo ColoRouge—showcasing the award-winning rind where three microbes work in harmony to create its signature dusty bloom, deep orange tones, and just-right funk.

MouCo ColoRouge®

Award-winning Colorado made washed-rind cheese

MouCo ColoRouge – Smooth Now, Wild Later

Soft, smooth, and just a little wild, MouCo ColoRouge® is a washed-rind cheese with a creamy interior and a striking orange-red rind that deepens in character as it ages.

ColoRouge® started with a question:

Could we make a washed-rind cheese that was bold, beautiful, and truly our own?

The answer came from years of hands-on work with fermentation—bread, beer, wine, and finally cheese. That path led to a deeper understanding of how organisms interact, how textures form, and how flavors evolve. And from that came ColoRouge®: a cheese built on symbiosis, balance, and boldness.

Its signature red-orange rind is more than just striking—it’s alive with character. The cultures work together to shape not just flavor and aroma, but the very rhythm of how the cheese grows.

What began as a bold experiment has become one of the most awarded cheeses in our lineup—and a symbol of what careful, Colorado-crafted fermentation can achieve.

MouCo ColoRouge®

Washed-rind and soft-ripened, MouCo ColoRouge is MouCo’s bold expression of balance. Made with local cow’s milk, it starts smooth and mellow—ripening then deepens into savory, nutty flavors with just enough boldness to highlight what washed-rind cheeses can do, but, omg, what ColoRouge can do...

MouCo makes complex, approachable cheeses, so we’re after complexity here—not domination. The goal is nuance, depth, and a cheese that evolves… :)...without owning the lettuce in your refrigerator.

It’s not trying to prove anything. It’s just doing what it does—really, really well.

Customer Reviews

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Bonnie J.
MouCo ColoRouge

Colorouge is the perfect example of Colorado terroir. To me, it brings images of stepping out onto a farmhouse porch at a quiet summer’s dawn. It’s meaty, farmy, dewy, and oh so smooth.

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The Story Behind the Wheel

Cheese Ripening: Applying surface culture to MouCo ColoRouge—three distinct microbes working together to build texture, aroma, and a rind that nurtures flavor.

🍞 ColoRouge: Built on Fermentation, Not Hype

“Bread taught us work and flow, beer taught us yeast. Wine and wood taught us patience. Cheese brought it all together.” - RP

ColoRouge didn’t come first—but it came with intention. This is where years of fermentation practice finally had room to get bold. Not chaotic bold—balanced bold.

This cheese is what happens when you know how microbes behave, when you care how the rind breathes, and when you actually want a cheese to taste like it came from somewhere real.

  • 🧀 Washed-Rind, Surface-Ripened
  • 🐄 100% Local Cow’s Milk
  • 🧫 Built on Fermented Intention
  • 🧼 No Additives or Preservatives

Learn How We Make It

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MouCo ColoRouge - A Flavor Journey

Discover how texture, flavor, and aroma deepen as the cheese ripens

🟢 Young and Mellow

(0–3 weeks) ColoRouge starts off smooth and creamy, with a mild buttery flavor and just a whisper of tang. The rind is still early in its life, giving the cheese a gentle, clean profile. It’s approachable, soft-spoken, and ready to ease you in with its luring development.

🟡 Creamy and Soft

(3–7 weeks) Now the paste is softening, and things get savory. That mellow base picks up roasted and nutty tones, while the aroma gains quiet confidence. The rind starts to shape the cheese more visibly, giving it a few, well earned, wrinkles.

🟠 Bold Not Bossy

(7–8+ weeks) At peak ripeness, ColoRouge shows off. Bold, earthy flavors come forward, stirring curiosity and desire. The washed rind brings aromatic depth, but this cheese still knows how to impress, stay balanced, satisfy. Share with friends, or don’t. Either way, it’s a moment.

🟢 Young and Mellow

(0–3 weeks) ColoRouge starts off smooth and creamy, with a mild buttery flavor and just a whisper of tang. The rind is still early in its life, giving the cheese a gentle, clean profile. It’s approachable, soft-spoken, and ready to ease you in with its luring development.

🟡 Creamy and Soft

(3–7 weeks) Now the paste is softening, and things get savory. That mellow base picks up roasted and nutty tones, while the aroma gains quiet confidence. The rind starts to shape the cheese more visibly, giving it a few, well earned, wrinkles.

🟠 Bold Not Bossy

(7–8+ weeks) At peak ripeness, ColoRouge shows off. Bold, earthy flavors come forward, stirring curiosity and desire. The washed rind brings aromatic depth, but this cheese still knows how to impress, stay balanced, satisfy. Share with friends, or don’t. Either way, it’s a moment.
🧀 Want to know where your ColoRouge is on its flavor journey?

Check the d8code on your cheese label —

MouCo’s built-in flavor map. 🗺️
Cheese Ripening: Racks of award-winning MouCo ColoRouge aging to perfection—Colorado-born rounds with vibrant orange rinds and bold, savory depth.

What's a d8Code?

Each wheel of MouCo ColoRouge has a sticker with three dates printed on it.

These dates track how the cheese ripens over time—so you can enjoy it at the stage that fits your taste.

From mild and creamy to bold and savory,
ColoRouge evolves with every passing day.

Made today? Your ColoRouge’s d8code is...

Batch Code: 20250810

🟢 Fresh and Tangy: August 24, 2025

🟡 Creamy and Soft: September 7, 2025

🟠 Enjoy with Friends by: October 19, 2025

Whether you like a bright tang or buttery melt...
...the date code gives you the control!

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Smooth complexity now, washed-rind wild later.
— No doubt...
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MouCo ColoRouge® Awards

2016 Los Angeles International Dairy - ColoRouge awarded Gold
2016 Los Angeles International Dairy - ColoRouge awarded Gold
2009 ACS - ColoRouge awarded 2nd
2009 ACS - ColoRouge awarded 2nd
2004 ACS - ColoRouge awarded 1st
2004 ACS - ColoRouge awarded 1st
2020 World Cheese Awards - ColoRouge awarded Bronze
2020 World Cheese Awards - ColoRouge awarded Bronze
2023 ACS - ColoRouge awarded 3rd
2023 ACS - ColoRouge awarded 3rd
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Want to try it for yourself?

MouCo ColoRouge

MouCo ColoRouge Cheese Label

Ships Insulated with Cold Gel

Made in Fort Collins, Colorado

Packed with Love

Clean ingredients, real milk, real time