Start right outside Novato at Marin French Cheese Company, the ... In 1997, Sue Conley and Peggy Smith built a small cre
n i r a M a m o n o S l i a r T e s e e h
C
3
Va lle yF or d
7
Todd . o Rd Llan
116
11
16
Occidental Rd. Irw in
13
Sonoma County
Rd .
14
15
12
17 Bo de ga
2
6
10
s-P eye Pt.R d. yR alle oV asi Nic
4
Av e.
Hicks Va 1 lle yR d. lu m aR d
Marshall-Petaluma R d .
8
5
116 9
.
a et
N
Marin County
Cheesemakers Open for Visits
+ 1 + 2
Achadinha Cheese Company
Barinaga Ranch
Pugs Leap 11
+
3 Bohemian Creamery
Cheese Company
Ramini Mozzarella
12
Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery
4 Cowgirl Creamery
13
+
5 Epicurean Connection
Tomales Farmstead Creamery
14
6 Marin French Cheese Company 7 Matos Cheese Factory
Two Rock Valley Goat Cheese 15
+
Valley Ford Cheese Company
16
+ 8
Nicasio Valley Cheese Company
9
Petaluma Creamery
+
10
Vella Cheese Company 17
Point Reyes Farmstead
Open Locations
Contact for Tour Options
Marin Driving Tour
+
Protected Farmland
Sonoma Driving Tour
You can visit any of these cheesemakers during their regular business hours without making an appointment.
Marin County Driving Tour
Sonoma County Driving Tour
Driving Directions
Driving Directions
Novato to Nicasio and Point Reyes Station (about 15 miles)
Version 6, 2015
Start right outside Novato at Marin French Cheese Company, the longest continually operating cheese company in the U.S., where you can picnic by the pond, shop in the retail store and taste award-winning Brie and Camembert cheeses. 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 tasting (reservations required). At the cheese counter taste Cowgirl cheeses and other local artisan cheeses.
Petaluma to Sebastopol to Sonoma (about 50 miles) 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 north out of town on the 101 Freeway, taking the 116 exit towards Sebastopol. Make a right on Llano Road to the Matos Cheese Factory, located on their farm, to sample St. George, a buttery semi-hard cheese made in the style of the Azores. From there, make a short jaunt (right on Hwy 12, left on Irwin, left on Occidental) for rustic-style cheeses to Bohemian Creamery, a goat farm & cheese shop. For more, head east on Highway 12 to the town of Sonoma to visit the retail shop of one of the oldest cheesemakers in the area, Vella Cheese Company.
3. Bohemian Creamery
7380 Occidental Road, Sebastopol bohemiancreamery.com
F Lisa Gottreich broke from her midlife mold to fill new ones with innovate and compelling curds. Her shop and herd of Alpine goats overlook the Laguna de Santa Rosa in Sebastopol. Shop Hours: Fri-Sun 10-6, Tours: Sat at noon, Sundays at 1pm. Email info@ bohemiancreamery.com for info.
4. Cowgirl Creamery
80 Fourth Street, Point Reyes Station 415-663-9335 www.cowgirlcreamery.com
FM M O In 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.
6. Marin French Cheese Company 7500 Red Hill Road, Petaluma 800-292-6001 www.marinfrenchcheese.com
M The longest 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.
7. Matos Cheese Factory
3669 Llano Road, Santa Rosa 707-584-5283
F
Joe 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.
8. Nicasio Valley Cheese Company 5300 Nicasio Valley Road, Nicasio 415-662-6200 nicasiocheese.com FM F M O
The 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.
9. Petaluma Creamery
711 Western Avenue, Petaluma 707-762-9038 springhillcheese.com petalumacreamerycheeseshop.com
FM M O The 102 year-old Creamery is home to organic Spring Hill Jersey Cheese, butter, and handmade ice cream from local Jersey cows as well as 100% natural Petaluma Creamery and Petaluma Gold cheeses. The store serves BBQ sandwiches, salads, and coffee daily. Tours by appointment.
17. Vella Cheese Company
315 2nd Street East Sonoma, 707-938-3232, 800-848-0505 vellacheese.com
M
Bellwether Farms
400 W. Spain Street, Sonoma 707-935-7960 sheanadavis.com
Petaluma, 707-478-8067 www.bellwetherfarms.com
FM M
Sheana Davis is the cheesemaker and proprietor of the Epicurean Connection, celebrating 25 years of enthusiastic support for local cheesemakers. Her cheeses include Delice de la Vallee, Creme de Fromage, Creme de Mouton & Le Tois de Fromage. Epicurean Connection is open by appointment only for cheesemaking classes and guided artisan cheese tastings.
10. Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company Point Reyes Station, 415-663-8880 pointreyescheese.com theforkatpointreyes.com
FM F M The Giacomini family makes their award-winning cheese, including Fresh Mozzarella, Toma, Bay Blue and Original Blue with milk from their own cows—processed within hours of milking. They offer farm tours and dinners, cooking classes and more at The Fork, their culinary and educational center. Reservations required. 11. Pugs Leap White Whale Farm 5880 Carroll Road, Petaluma 707-876-3300 whitewhalefarm.com
FM Following the traditions of her Basque ancestors in Spain, Marcia Barinaga makes a raw-milk Basque-style sheep cheese. Her Animal Welfare Approved flock of dairy ewes graze year-round on over 100 acres of certified-organic pastures overlooking Tomales Bay.
Clover Stornetta Farms Petaluma, 707-778-8448 cloverstornetta.com
M From a small farm in Bulgaria to a creamery in Jalisco, Mexico. Together, Pablo Guerra, who learned the art of cheesemaking from his father and his wife Margarita, born on a dairy farm in Bulgaria, bring you a melding of cultures, reflected in their artisan cheese.
12. Ramini Mozzarella
Laura Chenel’s
Tomales 415-690-6644 raminimozzarella.com
Sonoma, 707-996-4477 www.laurachenel.com
F Founded by Craig Ramini & his wife Audrey Hitchcock and inspired by Italian mozzarella di bufala, Audrey uses her 100% water buffalo milk to produce handcrafted authentic Buffalo Mozzarella. Contact Audrey to picnic on the farm, sample cheese and pet the water buffalo. Tours are Saturdays only from 2-4. For reservations email craig@ raminimozzarella.
13. Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery Sebastopol, 707-823-8250 redwoodhill.com
FM M
Redwood Hill Farm is an award-winning, Certified Humane®, Grade A goat dairy farm and creamery located in Sonoma County. Familyowned and operated for over 45 years, they are committed to the sustainable production of delicious, artisan goat milk cheese, yogurt and kefir. The farm is open for public tours two weekends per year during spring. Visit redwoodhill.com/tours for dates and details.
14. Tomales Farmstead Creamery
FM F
David and Tamara purchased Toluma Farms in 2003. They restored the land, certified it organic and protected it with an agricultural conservation easement (MALT). They’ve raised Animal Welfare approved goats and sheep since 2007 and began making farmstead cheeses in 2013. They produce a soft ripened goat cheese (Kenne), a soft ripened cow, goat, sheep (Teleeka), a fresh goat cheese (Liwa), an aged goat (Assa), and an aged mixed sheep/goat (Atika). 15. Two Rock Valley Goat Cheese Two Rock, 707-762-6182
FM F M
lley Goa tC k Va oc
DD
Valley Ford, 707-293-5636 valleyfordcheeseco.com
FM F M
Five 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.
Cheesemakers Busy Making Cheese Find these cheeses at retailers or a farmer’s market. The cheesemakers below are not open to the public.
Andante Cheese
Petaluma, 707-769-1379 www.andantedairy.com
FM
Laura 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.
Saint Benoît Creamery Two Rock, 530-400-4701 stbenoit.com
FM O Saint Benoit is a family-owned business handcrafting small batches of organic yogurt cheese, cream-top French-style yogurt and organic vat-pasteurized whole milk from Jersey cows. They use locally sourced fruits and honey. Each item is sold in distinctive reusable crocks, jars and bottles. Weirauch Farm & Creamery Petaluma weirauchfarm.com
FM F M O Seasonal, small batch varieties of farmstead, Animal Welfare Approved as artisan goat and certified organic cow cheese sheep cheese, as well produced by husband and wife team Joel and Carleen Weirauch.
Tomales, 707-878-2041 tolumafarms.com
16. Valley Ford Cheese Company
Marshall www.barinagaranch.com
Cheesemakers Seana Doughty & Dave Dalton are serious about their cheese but never take themselves too seriously. Their handcrafted cheeses have whimsical names and every wheel is imprinted with a heart. The creamery is located in a renovated milk house on a historic ranch.
Petaluma, 707-486-3640
1. Achadinha Cheese Company
2. Barinaga Ranch Farmstead Sheep Milk Cheese
Tomales www.bleatingheart.com
120 Humane Certified goats roam the pastures at White Whale Farm. Here, the family-owned dairy makes farmstead, hand-crafted cheese, under the Pugs Leap label, with milk from their own animals, in a creamery built inside their historic 1867 barn. Tours are available by appointment.
Cheesemakers that have occasional or regular scheduled tours. Signups required. Most require plenty of notice. Petaluma 707-763-1025 www.achadinha.com FM F M At Jim and Donna Pacheco’s dairy, you’ll find 600 goats and a small Jersey cow herd. The animals graze on pastures year-round; their diet supplemented with brewer’s grain, whey and alfalfa. One of the barns has been converted to an on-site creamery and aging room. Check their website for information on tours of the dairy and cheesemaking.
Bleating Heart Cheese
Dacheva Son’s Cheese
FM F
DeBernardi Dairy, Inc. Dairyman Don DeBernardi’s desire to make Swiss cheese like the type made by his relatives in Switzerland led him to transition from multigenerational dairy farming to producing a goat milk cheese aged on site at the DeBernardi Dairy. Weekend tours by appointment.
Contact for Tour Options:
operates Bellwether Farms in the heart The Callahan family owns and 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.
A 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.
ese he
The 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.
5. Epicurean Connection
Two R
Open to the Public: Call or check websites for regular visiting hours.
Soyoung 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.
Additional Farm Tours Bodega Goat Cheese
Bodega, (707) 876-3483, bodegaranch.net Patty Karlin, who taught many of the cheesemakers in the area, gives tours of her farm, showing her many sustainable practices and introduces you to her goats. Call for an appointment.
Straus Home Ranch
Marshall, StrausHomeRanch.com Learn about Marin’s sustainable agricultural history and anecdotes of growing up on rural Tomales Bay, while strolling the pastures of this iconic organic farm, followed by an artisan cheese tasting. Led by Vivien and/or Michael Straus. Sign up online.
Key to the Cheesemakers Type of Animal:
FM
Available at Farmers’ Markets
Goat
F
Farmstead
Sheep
M
Mail Order
O
Organic
Cow
Water Buffalo
Generous support provided by Whole Foods Market,
Marin Convention and Visitors Bureau and the California Milk Advisory Board A project of the Marin Economic Forum: MarinEconomicForum.org
Production: Vivien Straus | Design: Lisa Krieshok Copy: Elisabeth Ptak | With initial support from Ellie Rilla
