Ferdinand’s famous Cougar Gold, Sweet Basil and Natural Cheddar cheeses once again sold out during the holiday season.

It is normal for the Cougar Gold Cheese to sell out around December, WSU Creamery Manager John Haugen said, because they produce and sell the cheese on a year-to-year schedule.

“We produce cheese all year long, but it ages for one year,” Haugen said. Cheese on the shelves this year was produced in 2016, he said.

They ran out of Cougar Gold on Nov. 29, Haugen said — much sooner than they planned.

At the beginning of each year, management at the creamery analyzes the previous year’s sales to calculate and predict an adequate amount of cheese for the new year.

The creamery is currently producing eight different flavors of cheese. Besides those that sold out, they make Smokey Cheddar, Natural Viking, Dill Garlic, Hot Pepper and Crimson Fire.

One of the challenges is that a quarter of the sales are in-store, he said, and the rest are online. This leaves Ferdinand’s with only a portion of the cheese it produces.

Cougar Gold, Sweet Basil and Natural Cheddar will be back on shelves in mid-January, according to the creamery’s website. Ferdinand’s products are still available at local grocery outlets.