Marin County Tour Novato to Nicasio and Point Reyes Station (about 50 miles) Driving Directions Start at the Marin French Cheese Company right outside Novato, where you can take a tour, picnic, and taste their award-winning Rouge et Noir brie. Then travel west on the Point Reyes-Petaluma Road, make a quick detour onto Nicasio Valley Road to the quaint village of Nicasio. There you’ll find Nicasio Valley Cheese Company. The Lafranchi family produces fantastic farmstead cheeses in the artisanal tradition of their Swiss-Italian cousins in Switzerland. Then retrace your steps to the Point Reyes-Petaluma Road and into the town of Point Reyes to Tomales Bay Foods (also known as Cowgirl Creamery) where you can watch cheesemaking through the window or take a more formal cheese class (reservations required). At the cheese counter taste Cowgirl cheeses and other local artisan cheeses. Driving Tours Sonoma County Tour Petaluma to Sonoma to Sebastopol (about 50 miles) Driving Directions Starting in the historic agricultural town of Petaluma, with its charming turn-of-the-century buildings and quaint downtown, stop by the Petaluma Creamery where you can sample Spring Hill Cheese (for tours of their creamery please call ahead). Then head east out of town via Highway 116 and follow signs to Sonoma. To visit one of the oldest cheesemakers in the area, stop by Vella Cheese Company, known for their famous aged dry Jack. While still in Sonoma drop by the Epicurean Connection for the flavors of fresh and soft cheeses and more local fare. For more, travel north out of town on Highway 12 to Sebastopol to the Matos Cheese Factory to sample their St. George, a buttery semi-hard cheese made in the style of the Azores. Marin County Sonoma County 22 20 17 19 24 14 16 23 3 6 25 5 18 7 1 2 N 27 4 11 8 116 Pt. R e ye s-P e tal u m a Road N i c a si o Valle y R oa d 15 9 21 12 10 26 13 Cheesemakers of Marin and Sonoma County Open Locations + Protected Farmland + Achadinha Cheese Company + Andante Cheese + Barinaga Ranch Farmstead Sheep Milk Cheese Bellwether Farms Bleating Heart Cheese Bodega Artisan Cheese Bohemian Creamery Clover Stornetta Farms Cowgirl Creamery Epicurean Connection Laura Chenel’s Chevre Marin French Cheese Company Matos Cheese Factory McClelland Dairy + Nicasio Valley Cheese Company + Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company Pugs Leap + Ramini Mozzarella Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery Saint Benoit Yogurt Spring Hill Cheese Company + Straus Family Creamery + Toluma Farms Two Rock Valley Goat Cheese + Valley Ford Cheese Company Vella Cheese Company Weirauch Farm & Creamery
Transcript
Marin County TourNovato to Nicasio and Point Reyes Station (about 50 miles)
Driving DirectionsStart at the Marin French Cheese Company right outside Novato, where you can take a tour, picnic, and taste their award-winning Rouge et Noir brie. Then travel west on the Point Reyes-Petaluma Road, make a quick detour onto Nicasio Valley Road to the quaint village of Nicasio. There you’ll find Nicasio Valley Cheese Company. The Lafranchi family produces fantastic farmstead cheeses in the artisanal tradition of their Swiss-Italian cousins in Switzerland. Then retrace your steps to the Point Reyes-Petaluma Road and into the town of Point Reyes to Tomales Bay Foods (also known as Cowgirl Creamery) where you can watch cheesemaking through the window or take a more formal cheese class (reservations required). At the cheese counter taste Cowgirl cheeses and other local artisan cheeses.
Driving ToursSonoma County Tour Petaluma to Sonoma to Sebastopol (about 50 miles)
Driving DirectionsStarting in the historic agricultural town of Petaluma, with its charming turn-of-the-century buildings and quaint downtown, stop by the Petaluma Creamery where you can sample Spring Hill Cheese (for tours of their creamery please call ahead). Then head east out of town via Highway 116 and follow signs to Sonoma. To visit one of the oldest cheesemakers in the area, stop by Vella Cheese Company, known for their famous aged dry Jack. While still in Sonoma drop by the Epicurean Connection for the flavors of fresh and soft cheeses and more local fare. For more, travel north out of town on Highway 12 to Sebastopol to the Matos Cheese Factory to sample their St. George, a buttery semi-hard cheese made in the style of the Azores.
Marin County
Sonoma County
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Cheesemakers of Marin and Sonoma County
Open Locations + Protected Farmland
+ Achadinha Cheese Company+ Andante Cheese
+ Barinaga Ranch Farmstead Sheep Milk Cheese
Bellwether Farms Bleating Heart Cheese Bodega Artisan Cheese Bohemian Creamery Clover Stornetta Farms Cowgirl Creamery Epicurean Connection Laura Chenel’s Chevre Marin French Cheese Company Matos Cheese Factory
McClelland Dairy+ Nicasio Valley Cheese Company+ Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company Pugs Leap+ Ramini Mozzarella Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery Saint Benoit Yogurt Spring Hill Cheese Company+ Straus Family Creamery+ Toluma Farms Two Rock Valley Goat Cheese+ Valley Ford Cheese Company Vella Cheese Company Weirauch Farm & Creamery
G FM F AJim and Donna Pacheco’s 900 goats graze year-round on verdant pastures at the Pacheco Family Dairy. The grass is supplemented with alfalfa and brewers’ grain from local breweries. Donna handcrafts all cheeses. Achadinha also sells its own smoked summer goat sausage.
2. Andante CheesePetaluma 707-769-1379www.andantedairy.com C G FMSoyoung Scanlan—dairy scientist, music lover, and former biochemist—gives musical names to her creamery and cheeses. Her products are designed to reveal the essence of the terroir, or microclimate, in which the milk and cheese are produced.
3. Barinaga Ranch Farmstead Sheep Milk CheeseMarshallwww.barinagaranch.com S F MBarinaga Ranch continues the shepherding traditions of Marcia Barinaga’s Basque ancestors in Spain. Sheep graze year-round on more than 100 acres of pasture overlooking Tomales Bay. The rich, raw milk is made into a Basque-style cheese from April to October.
4. Bellwether FarmsPetaluma707-478-8067www.bellwetherfarms.com C S FM MThe Callahan family owns and operates Bellwether Farms in the heart of Sonoma County. They began milking their sheep and producing handcrafted cheeses in 1990, making them one of the first to be part of the revival of American artisan cheesemaking.
5. Bleating Heart CheeseSebastopolwww.bleatingheart.com C S FMFat Bottom Girl, a sheep cheese, was first produced by Bleating Heart in 2009. Sonoma Toma, a cow’s milk cheese, followed soon after. In 2010, Bleating Heart partnered with Sonoma County ranchers Rex and Kerry Williams to establish California’s fifth sheep dairy.
6. Bodega Artisan CheeseBodega707-876-3483www.BodegaArtisanCheese.com C G FM F M AIn keeping with farmstead traditions worldwide, Bodega’s “country” cheeses are produced in small batches from one-to-two day old milk, then immediately made into cheese. This seals in the fresh, mild flavor, even in the aged cheeses.
C G F MLisa Gottreich and Miriam Block decided to break out of their midlife molds and fill new ones with innovative and compelling curds. They make a variety of Italian-style cheeses on their farm in Sebastopol.
8. Clover Stornetta FarmsPetaluma707-778-8448cloverstornetta.com CA family-owned and operated business, Clover Stornetta Farms works closely with select family farms in Sonoma, Marin and Mendocino counties. It processes and distributes their high-quality dairy products under the Clover Stornetta and Clover Organic Farms brands.
9. Cowgirl Creamery80 Fourth StreetPoint Reyes Station415-663-9335www.cowgirlcreamery.com C FM M P O AIn 1997, Sue Conley and Peggy Smith built a small creamery in downtown Point Reyes Station and began making handcrafted cheese with local organic milk. They now produce three fresh and six aged cheeses, and have a second creamery in Petaluma.
10. Epicurean Connection 122 West Napa StreetSonoma 707-935-7960www.sheanadavis.com
C G FM M PSheana Davis is a cheesemaker and proprietor of the Epicurean Connection shop, selling artisan and farmstead cheeses, plus regionally and sustainably produced products. After 20 years of enthusiastic support for local cheesemakers, she introduced her own artisan cheese line in 2009.
11. Laura Chenel’s ChèvreSonoma707-996-4477www.laurachenel.com
GLaura Chenel pioneered American goat cheesemaking. From small batches made on her Sebastopol farm in the 1970s to the new Sonoma creamery owned by French artisan cheese producer Rians Group, the brand continues to bring increased appreciation of goat cheese to the U.S.
12. Marin French Cheese Company7500 Red Hill RoadPetaluma800-292-6001www.marinfrenchcheese.com C G M P AThe oldest continuously operating cheese factory in America, Marin French has specialized in handmade Brie and Camembert since 1865. In 2005, it was the first American producer to best France and other European countries in international competitions.
C F PJoe and Mary Matos grew up in the Portuguese Azores on the lush volcanic island of Sao Jorge, noted for its delicious cheeses. They relocated to Santa Rosa in the 1970s, carrying the recipe for their native cheese with them.
C FM F M PThis third-generation family dairy was founded by Robert McClelland, an Irish immigrant. It’s now operated by his son George, George’s wife Dora, and their daughter Jana. They specialize in European Style Organic Artisan Butter and have plans for other products in the future.
15. Nicasio Valley Cheese Company5300 Nicasio Valley RoadNicasio415-662-6200nicasiocheese.com
C FM F M P O AThe Lafranchi family enjoyed the traditional cheeses of their Swiss homeland and dreamed of making their own. Their organic dairy was the perfect resource to enable them to pay homage to their heritage. They made their first cheese in 2010 with Swiss mentor Maurizio Lorenzetti.
16. Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese CompanyPoint Reyes Station415-663-8880pointreyescheese.comtheforkatpointreyes.com C FM F M AThe Giacomini family makes classic Point Reyes Original Blue and semi-hard Point Reyes Toma with milk from their own cows—processed within hours of milking. They offer hands-on and demo-style cooking classes at The Fork Culinary Center on their ranch.
17. Pugs [email protected] G FM F AAfter running their goat dairy, White Whale Farm, for several years, Anna and Dan Conner were eager to enter the cheese world. They took over Pugs Leap in 2010, continuing the high-quality cheesemaking tradition of the previous owners. Their herd is Certified Humane.
18. Ramini MozzarellaTomales415-690-6633
raminimozzarella.com W FInspired by Italian mozzarella di bufala, Craig Ramini will use 100% water buffalo milk to produce a handcrafted cheese for his new company which is now in start-up mode. Ramini Mozzarella is scheduled to be available in 2012.
19. Redwood Hill Farm & CreamerySebastopol707-823-8250redwoodhill.com G FM M ALocated among picturesque redwoods, family-owned and operated Redwood Hill Farm has produced award-winning goat milk cheese since 1978. Their Certified Humane Raised & Handled herd benefits from a diversified breeding program, and their cheese, yogurt and kefir are minimally processed.
20. Saint Benoît Yogurt Two Rock530-400-4701stbenoit.com
C FM O ASaint Benoît is a small, family-owned business handcrafting organic, cream-top, French-style yogurt from the milk of Jersey cows. All products are made in small batches using locally sourced fruits and honey. They’re sold in distinctive reusable crocks and jars.
21. Spring Hill Cheese Company711 Western AvenuePetaluma707-762-9038springhillcheese.com
C FM F M P O ARich, organic 100% Jersey milk is the secret of Larry Peter’s handcrafted gourmet cheeses. Spring Hill Jersey cheeses are made on his farm just west of Petaluma.
22. Straus Family CreameryMarshall707-776-2887www.strausfamilycreamery.com C FM O AA family-owned organic creamery, Straus produces milk, ice cream, yogurt, butter, frozen yogurt and soft-serve ice cream with cows’ milk sourced from its own dairy in the hills above Tomales Bay and from three other local family farms. For tours, check malt.org.
G S FM F ADavid Jablons and Tamara Hicks purchased their dairy in 2003, restored the land and protected it with an agricultural conservation easement. They began milking 200 goats in 2007, and plan to start producing goat and mixed-milk cheeses in 2011.
24. Two Rock Valley Goat CheeseTwo Rock707-762-6182
Two R
ock Valley Goat CheeseDDDeBernardi Dairy, Inc.G FM F M A
Dairyman Don DeBernardi’s desire to make Swiss cheese like the type made by his relatives in Switzerland led him to transition from multi-generational dairy farming to producing a goat milk cheese aged on site at the DeBernardi Dairy.
25. Valley Ford Cheese CompanyValley Ford707-293-5636valleyfordcheeseco.com
C FM F AFive generations of the Bianchi/Grossi family have raised dairy cows on this prime farmland in Sonoma County. Karen Bianchi Moreda and her son Joe now make Swiss-Italian-style cheese from the milk of their Certified Humane Raised & Handled Jersey herd.
26. Vella Cheese Company315 2nd Street EastSonoma707-938-3232 • 800-848-0505 vellacheese.comC M PThe Vella family has made cheese in a stonewalled building on the historic Sonoma square since the company’s founding in 1931 by Gaetano Vella. The cultures, the care and the personal hands-on techniques are the same as they were then.
C S FM F M O A Joel and Carleen Weirauch raise dairy sheep for a seasonal raw aged cheese. They also produce organic cow cheese from local Jersey milk. They’ve made creative, green re-use of two portable classrooms for their creamery and milking parlor. Their operation is Animal Welfare Approved.
Key to the Cheesemakers C Cow G Goat S Sheep W Water Buffalo FM Available at Farmers’ Markets F Farmstead M Mail Order P Open to the Public O Organic
A Tours by Appointment
Agricultural Institute of Marin, California Milk Advisory Board, Marin Convention & Visitors Bureau, Marin County Board of Supervisors, Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, www.SonomaCounty.com, Sonoma Land Trust.
The following organizations provided generous
support.
A PROJECT OF THE MARIN ECONOMIC FORUM . Production: Vivien Straus and Ellie Rilla . Design: Lisa Krieshok . Copy: Elisabeth Ptak
Tour the heart of artisan cheesemaking country in Sonoma and Marin counties
Popular goat breeds include Alpine, Saanen, Nubian and LaMancha
with them from Switzerland, Italy, the Azores, Portugal and Ireland, and began producing modest quantities on the farm or through cooperative creameries. But during WW II, small-scale manufacturing gave way to mass production to meet the needs of national defense and a growing population.
Today, artisan cheesemaking is experiencing a renaissance as both long-time dairy families and young, passionate cheese entrepreneurs enter the marketplace to meet an increasing consumer desire for distinctive, handcrafted cheese. Marin and Sonoma counties are home to the largest concentration of artisan cheesemakers in California. In combination with conscientious animal husbandry practices, they emphasize quality over quantity. Like vintners who attribute the distinct characteristics of their wines to the terroir in which they’re produced, cheesemakers here say the salt air, cooling fogs and abundant grasslands where their animals graze make their cheeses unlike any others.
Protecting FarmlandThis beautiful farmland located so close to San Francisco is under constant threat from sprawl and non-agricultural development. With your help, conservation organizations in Marin and Sonoma can protect at-risk farmland. For more information and to see how you can help, visit malt.org, sonomalandtrust.org and sonomaopenspace.org.
To make one pound of cheese, it takes about five pounds of sheep’s milk, or seven pounds of goat milk, or 10 pounds of cow’s milk.
22,000 acres of land in Marin and Sonoma are dedicated to making cheese and fermented milk products.
It’s been called the Normandy of Northern California after the famous French cheese-producing region. View a beautiful agricultural landscape of family farms and working ranches, much of it protected from development with agricultural conservation easements. Experience historic towns and villages, Point Reyes National Seashore, nearby oyster operations and world-renowned wineries in the 12 wine-growing regions of Sonoma County.
A Working LandscapeCheesemaking has long been a part of world cultures, but in the U.S., it dates back only about 200 years. In Marin and Sonoma counties, Spanish priests first made
cheese from the milk of mission livestock in the early 1800s.
During the Gold Rush, European immigrants built dairies on the Point Reyes peninsula to supply butter and cheese to gold miners in San Francisco. The peninsula became known as “cow heaven” for its moderate climate and
verdant grasslands, and dairy ranches soon sprang up throughout Marin, making the county the top dairy producer in California for several decades. As demand grew, the story repeated itself in Sonoma County.
Settlers in both counties brought cheesemaking skills
Open for Visits Not all artisan producers are open to the public, so we’ve created two tours to sites that welcome visitors. Meet some of the cheesemakers, learn about the animals, and maybe even see cheese being made…and don’t forget to ask for a taste! Make sure to call ahead or check company websites listed on the back for hours.
Solar-powered milking parlors, on-farm methane digesters & composting systems are ways some local cheesemakers lessen their environmental impact.
Terroir is French for the interplay of soil, climate & geography that make an agricultural area unique
Cheese GlossaryAffineur: A French term for the person who cares for the maturing and ripening of cheese.
Artisan: Cheese made primarily by hand in small batches with special attention paid to the tradition of the cheesemaker’s art.
Cheesemonger: A knowledgeable person who sells cheese.
Curds and Whey: Milk naturally thickens and forms curds when left in a warm place or when a coagulant like rennet is added. Cutting the curds allows them to release water (whey). Eventually the whey is poured off, leaving only curds, which are then formed or pressed into rounds or other shapes.
Farmstead: Cheese made on the farm with milk from the farmer’s own herd.
Types of CheeseFresh: Retains fresh milk flavors with little or no aging
Semi-soft: Retains fresh milk flavors, but has pliable texture and a bit of pungency
Soft-ripened: A beneficial mold sprayed on or added to ripening cheese creates a bloomy rind
Surface-ripened: A wrinkly, surface-ripened rind or a thin rind barely contains the runny cheese
Semi-hard: Complex taste with a firm, sometimes crumbly, texture that’s good for melting
Aged (hard): Crumbly, sweet, pungent, low in moisture, and good for grating
Washed rind: Characteristically creamy and smelly with a tacky surface and pinkish or orange-colored rind
Blue (pierced): A mold added during the cheesemaking and piercing process creates various types of blue veining
Water buffalo are a new
addition to the region
Almost 100 different types of artisan cheeses are made here.
About 9,000 acres of land in Marin and Sonoma used for farmstead cheesemaking are protected by agricultural conservation easements.
Where to BuyPartial List of Local Retailers:
Andronico’s
Andy’s Market
Bodega Country Store
Cheese Shop of Healdsburg
Cowgirl Creamery
G&G Market
Mollie Stones
Oliver’s Markets
Pacific & Fiesta Markets
Paradise Foods
Petaluma Market
Raley’s Markets
United Markets
Valley Ford Market
Whole Foods Markets
The best way to store cheese is to wrap it in wax or butcher paper, then put it in the refrigerator vegetable crisper.
College of Marin began offering an Artisan Cheesemaking Certificate in 2010.
And many farmers’ markets where you can often meet the cheesemakers themselves.
This map is available for download at www.cheesetrail.org
