oma Marin se Trail Son 3 hee Occidental Rd. 13 C Irwin Todd 7 Llano Rd. 16 11 116 Valley Ford Rd. Sonoma 14 County 12 15 5 17 Bodega Ave. 116 hall-Petalum . Hicks Mars a Rd Va lle 1 y R 9 2 d. d. R a m 6 u al 10 et s-P eye Pt .R Nicasio Valley Rd. 4 N 8 Marin County Cheesemakers Open for Visits Cheese Company + 1 Achadinha Cheese Company 10 Pugs Leap 2 Barinaga Ranch + 11 + Ramini Mozzarella 3 Bohemian Creamery 12 Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery 4 Cowgirl Creamery 13 + Tomales Farmstead Creamery 5 Epicurean Connection 14 Two Rock Valley Goat Cheese 6 Marin French Cheese Company 15 Valley Ford Cheese Company 7 + Matos Cheese Factory 16 Vella Cheese Company 8 + Nicasio Valley Cheese Company 17 9 Petaluma Creamery + Point Reyes Farmstead Open Locations Contact for Tour Options + Protected Farmland Marin Driving Tour 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 Novato to Nicasio and Point Reyes Station (about 15 miles) Petaluma to Sebastopol to Sonoma (about 50 miles) Driving Directions Driving Directions Start right outside Novato at Marin French Cheese Company, the Starting in the historic agricultural town of Petaluma, with its charming longest continually operating cheese company in the U.S., where you can turn-of-the-century buildings and quaint downtown, stop by the Petaluma picnic by the pond, shop in the retail store and taste award-winning Brie Creamery where you can sample Spring Hill Cheese (for tours of their and Camembert cheeses. Then travel west on the Point Reyes-Petaluma creamery, please call ahead). Then head north out of town on the 101 Road, make a quick detour onto Nicasio Valley Road to the quaint village Freeway, taking the 116 exit towards Sebastopol. Make a right on Llano of Nicasio. There you’ll find Nicasio Valley Cheese Company. The Road to the Matos Cheese Factory, located on their farm, to sample St. Lafranchi family produces fantastic farmstead cheeses in the artisanal George, a buttery semi-hard cheese made in the style of the Azores. tradition of their Swiss-Italian cousins in Switzerland. Then retrace your From there, make a short jaunt (right on Hwy 12, left on Irwin, left on steps to the Point Reyes-Petaluma Road and into the town of Point Reyes Occidental) for rustic-style cheeses to Bohemian Creamery, a goat farm & Version 6, 2015 Version to Tomales Bay Foods (also known as Cowgirl Creamery) where you can cheese shop. For more, head east on Highway 12 to the town of Sonoma watch cheesemaking through the window or take a more formal cheese to visit the retail shop of one of the oldest cheesemakers in the area, Vella tasting (reservations required). At the cheese counter taste Cowgirl Cheese Company. cheeses and other local artisan cheeses. Open to the Public: 5. Epicurean Connection Bellwether Farms 400 W. Spain Street, Sonoma Petaluma, 707-478-8067 Call or check websites for regular visiting hours. 707-935-7960 www.bellwetherfarms.com sheanadavis.com 3. Bohemian Creamery FM M 7380 Occidental Road, Sebastopol The Callahan family owns and operates Bellwether Farms in the heart bohemiancreamery.com Sheana Davis is the cheesemaker and proprietor of the Epicurean of Sonoma County. They began milking their sheep and producing handcrafted cheeses in 1990, making them one of the first to be part of F Connection, celebrating 25 years of enthusiastic support for the revival of American artisan cheesemaking. Lisa Gottreich broke from her midlife mold to fill new ones with local cheesemakers. Her cheeses include Delice de la Vallee, Creme innovate and compelling curds. Her shop and herd of Alpine goats de Fromage, Creme de Mouton & Le Tois de Fromage. Epicurean Bleating Heart Cheese overlook the Laguna de Santa Rosa in Sebastopol. Shop Hours: Connection is open by appointment only for cheesemaking classes Tomales and guided artisan cheese tastings. Fri-Sun 10-6, Tours: Sat at noon, Sundays at 1pm. Email info@ www.bleatingheart.com bohemiancreamery.com for info. 10. Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company 4. Cowgirl Creamery Point Reyes Station, 415-663-8880 80 Fourth Street, Point Reyes Station pointreyescheese.com Cheesemakers Seana Doughty & Dave Dalton are serious about their 415-663-9335 theforkatpointreyes.com cheese but never take themselves too seriously. Their handcrafted cheeses www.cowgirlcreamery.com have whimsical names and every wheel is imprinted with a heart. The FM F M creamery is located in a renovated milk house on a historic ranch. FM M O The Giacomini family makes their award-winning cheese, including Fresh Mozzarella, Toma, Bay Blue and Original Blue with milk from Clover Stornetta Farms In 1997, Sue Conley and Peggy Smith built a small creamery in their own cows—processed within hours of milking. They offer farm Petaluma, 707-778-8448 downtown Point Reyes Station and began making handcrafted tours and dinners, cooking classes and more at The Fork, their culinary cloverstornetta.com cheese with local organic milk. They now produce three fresh and and educational center. Reservations required. six aged cheeses, and have a second creamery in Petaluma. 11. Pugs Leap 6. Marin French Cheese Company A family-owned and operated business, Clover Stornetta Farms works White Whale Farm 7500 Red Hill Road, Petaluma closely with select family farms in Sonoma, Marin and Mendocino 800-292-6001 5880 Carroll Road, Petaluma counties. It processes and distributes their high-quality dairy products 707-876-3300 under the Clover Stornetta and Clover Organic Farms brands. www.marinfrenchcheese.com whitewhalefarm.com Dacheva Son’s Cheese M FM F Petaluma, 707-486-3640 The longest continuously operating cheese factory in America, 120 Humane Certified goats roam the pastures at White Whale Farm. M Marin French has specialized in handmade Brie and Camembert Here, the family-owned dairy makes farmstead, hand-crafted cheese, From a small farm in Bulgaria to a creamery in Jalisco, since 1865. In 2005, it was the first American producer to best under the Pugs Leap label, with milk from their own animals, in a France and other European countries in international competitions. Mexico. Together, Pablo Guerra, who learned the art of cheesemaking creamery built inside their historic 1867 barn. Tours are available by from his father and his wife Margarita, born on a dairy farm in Bulgaria, 7. Matos Cheese Factory appointment. bring you a melding of cultures, reflected in their artisan cheese. 3669 Llano Road, Santa Rosa 12. Ramini Mozzarella 707-584-5283 Laura Chenel’s Tomales Sonoma, 707-996-4477 415-690-6644 F www.laurachenel.com raminimozzarella.com 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 F Laura Chenel pioneered American goat cheesemaking. From small native cheese with them. Founded by Craig Ramini & his wife Audrey Hitchcock and inspired batches made on her Sebastopol farm in the 1970s to the new Sonoma by Italian mozzarella di bufala, Audrey uses her 100% water buffalo creamery owned by French artisan cheese producer Rians Group, the 8. Nicasio Valley Cheese Company milk to produce handcrafted authentic Buffalo Mozzarella. Contact brand continues to bring increased appreciation of goat cheese to the 5300 Nicasio Valley Road, Nicasio Audrey to picnic on the farm, sample cheese and pet the water U.S. 415-662-6200 buffalo. Tours are Saturdays only from 2-4. For reservations email craig@ nicasiocheese.com Saint Benoît Creamery raminimozzarella. Two Rock, 530-400-4701 FM F M O 13. Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery stbenoit.com Sebastopol, 707-823-8250 The Lafranchi family enjoyed the traditional cheeses of their Swiss FM O homeland and dreamed of making their own. Their organic dairy redwoodhill.com Saint Benoit is a family-owned business handcrafting small batches was the perfect resource to enable them to pay homage to their of organic yogurt cheese, cream-top French-style yogurt and organic FM M heritage. They made their first cheese in 2010 with Swiss mentor vat-pasteurized whole milk from Jersey cows. They use locally sourced Redwood Hill Farm is an award-winning, Certified Humane®, Grade Maurizio Lorenzetti. fruits and honey. Each item is sold in distinctive reusable crocks, jars and A goat dairy farm and creamery located in Sonoma County. Family- bottles. 9. Petaluma Creamery owned and operated for over 45 years, they are committed to the 711 Western Avenue, Petaluma sustainable production of delicious, artisan goat milk cheese, yogurt Weirauch Farm & Creamery 707-762-9038 and kefir. The farm is open for public tours two weekends per year Petaluma springhillcheese.com during spring. Visit redwoodhill.com/tours for dates and details. weirauchfarm.com petalumacreamerycheeseshop.com 14. Tomales Farmstead Creamery FM F M O FM M O Tomales, 707-878-2041 Seasonal, small batch varieties of farmstead, Animal Welfare Approved The 102 year-old Creamery is home to organic Spring Hill Jersey tolumafarms.com Cheese, butter, and handmade ice cream from local Jersey cows sheep cheese, as well as artisan goat and certified organic cow cheese produced by husband and wife team Joel and Carleen Weirauch. as well as 100% natural Petaluma Creamery and Petaluma Gold FM F cheeses. The store serves BBQ sandwiches, salads, and coffee David and Tamara purchased Toluma Additional Farm Tours daily. Tours by appointment. Farms in 2003. They restored the land, certified it organic and 17. Vella Cheese Company protected it with an agricultural conservation easement (MALT). Bodega Goat Cheese 315 2nd Street East They’ve raised Animal Welfare approved goats and sheep Bodega, (707) 876-3483, bodegaranch.net Sonoma, 707-938-3232, 800-848-0505 since 2007 and began making farmstead cheeses in 2013.