Some say they can taste it. The Pacific coastal fog that so often settles over and lightly salts the pastures of Giacomini Ranch. The crisp, pristine air. The lush, rye grass. Clearly, it brings a healthy freshness to the cheeses made here at Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company.

This beautiful stretch of land on the California coast, just about 40 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge overlooks Tomales Bay and the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore. We invite you to come visit and experience for yourself the healthful, nourishing effects of bright sunshine, rich pastures, sweeping views and fresh ocean breezes.

Because the happiness of our cows depends on healthy diets and land stewardship, sustainability is placed above all else. We harvest methane-powered renewable energy. Water is conserved through innovative reuse and recycling programs and we manage our nutrient-rich pastures with careful attention to erosion control. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions we use farming practices that maximize carbon sequestration. The farm has sustained our family for going on four generations. So, we feel honored, and obliged, to sustain it in every way possible. Not only as a legacy to pass along to our children and their children. But as an example for farming that promotes healthy food and a healthy environment for everyone.

When Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company was founded in 2000, we already had the most important part. Our dairy farm has always been known for making the freshest, highest quality milk. Our family’s herd of Holsteins were all raised from birth right on the property, giving us complete quality control from start to finish. Our first creamery was, and still is, right next in the milking parlor. In 2018, to fulfill the increasing demand for our award-winning products, we proudly opened a second production facility in the nearby town of Petaluma. Original Blue, our raw milk cheese, continues to be made on the farm in Point Reyes. Our pasteurized cheeses, Toma, Bay Blue and Gouda, are handcrafted in Petaluma, where we source milk from neighbors who share our sustainable farming philosophies and match our highest standards for milk quality.

It’s a journey that started back in 1904, when our Great Grandfather Tobias Giacomini left Northern Italy to pursue his vision of farming the fabled, fertile lands of California. Fast forward to 1959 when our parents, Bob and Dean, purchased our dairy farm on Tomales Bay and started making milk to sell to the local creamery.

By the mid-1990’s, our father had grown the herd to over 500 cows and the farm established a reputation for producing the very highest quality milk. However, a dairy of that size on our property of 720 acres was just too big, causing too much stress on the land environmentally, on our limited natural resources and on the small staff working the farm. But there’s an expression here in the Giacomini family that says, when life gives you four daughters, make cheese. And so, after pursuing various business careers, we came back to help reduce the size of the dairy and transition the business into an artisan farmstead cheesemaking facility.

In August of 2000 the first wheels of Original Blue, California’s only classic style blue cheese, were introduced to Bay Area consumers, adding to a family legacy of farming that dates back well over 100 years.

Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company is our way of carrying on our family heritage, honoring the land we love so much, celebrating our passion for farm fresh food, and sharing it all with the people we consider our extended family – cheese lovers all across the country who can now experience the incredible flavors created from our small, family-run dairy farm.