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Cheese Fresh from the Pasture

The Lafranchi family has owned and operated the Nicasio ranch since 1919. They’ve been transitioning to organic since 2006 and so far, 300 of their 400 Holstein cows produce organic milk (the remainder produce conventional milk).

Cheese production began in early 2010, after the family brought in a master cheesemaker from Switzerland to teach them the art, and they now offer six varieties, all available for tasting in the old barn they converted into the creamery.

The tasting room is small, bright and airy, the back wall is glass for viewing the shiny new machinery. A pretty old sideboard is stocked with pastas, local honey, spices, olives and olive oil for sale. The cheeses, crackers and information cards are displayed along with the California State Fair 2011 gold medals awarded for the cheeses, Nicasio Reserve and Loma Alta.

Nicasio Valley Cheese Company cheese.

Outside, a few tables and chairs and some bales of hay provide a spot for picnicking and taking in the landscape. On one visit, volunteers from the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) were on hand to discuss farmland protected by MALT conservation easements and other protective zoning, leaving the cheese-tasters with a sense of gratitude for the group's efforts to preserve Marin's beautiful landscape, much of it visible on the cheese trail.

Cowgirl Creamery

Cowgirl Creamery at Tomales Bay Foods in Pt. Reyes Station is the final stop on the Marin tour.

Cowgirl has true star power. Founded in 1997 by Sue Conley and Peggy Smith, the creamery now makes 3,000 pounds of cheese a week and sells it at outposts in Pt. Reyes, the Ferry Building in San Francisco and in Washington, D.C., as well as online and in grocery stores. In 2008, they opened a creamery in Petaluma.

Mt. Tam and Red Hawk are two of its popular triple-cream cheeses, made with organic milk from Marin's Straus Family Dairy, that consistently win awards and other recognition. Seasonal offerings are Piece Pt., St. Pat and Devil’s Gulch. They also offer three fresh cheeses and their newest, Wagon Wheel, their so-called “everyday cheese.”

The renovated barn at Pt. Reyes Station is fun and full of energy. In addition to the cheese, there’s a good selection of local wines, some organic. Sharing the space are Little Shorty’s Golden Point Produce and Susan Hayes Handwovens.

Blazing the Trail

The visionary behind the Cheese Trail map is Vivien Straus, who spearheaded its creation from her post as agricultural representative on the Board of Directors of the Marin Economic Forum.

Straus’s commitment to local cheesemaking is practically in her DNA. She’s a daughter of the founders of Straus Family Dairy, which became the first organic dairy in the western U.S. when her brother, Albert, took over the operation. Her mother, Ellen Straus, co-founded MALT with Phyllis Faber.

“We wanted to promote this area as an artisan cheese-making region, the way Napa and Sonoma are known as a wine-making region,” she says. “The farming community has to have support in order to survive.”

Vivien Straus works part-time at Cowgirl Creamery and conducts tours. (The Straus dairy does not make cheese.)

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