Thanks to the happy cows of the California Milk Advisory Board, many know that California leads the nation in milk production. While you may think of Vermont or Wisconsin when you think of cheese, specialty cheeses make up about 11 percent of California's cheese production, creating a growing niche market.
Today artisan cheesemaking is a $119 million-dollar industry in Marin and Sonoma, and the two counties are home to the second-largest concentration of artisan and farmstead cheesemakers in the country. The trend in farmstead and artisan cheesemaking shows no sign of slowing — membership in the California Artisan Cheesemakers' Guild increased 15 percent in 2014.
Navigating the start-up of any business is hard work, but cheesemaking has its own special challenges. UC Agriculture and Natural Resources has published a bestselling manual designed for the beginning cheesemaker. "Farmstead and Artisan Cheeses: A Guide to Building a Business" walks readers through the steps necessary to establishing a cheesemaking business.
California has a rich history of cheesemaking. This year the Marin French Cheese Co. celebrates its 150th anniversary, making it the longest continually operating cheese company in the United States.
Starting in the mid-1990s, California cheesemaking began a renaissance with a handful of dedicated small producers. UC Cooperative Extension advisors nurtured the emerging farmstead and artisan cheesemaking culture. Working with local producers, they developed the cheesemaking certificate program offered at the College of Marin and published what is now the leading book on building an artisan and farmstead cheese business; industry surveys lent credibility to the emerging market and enabled the growing ranks of cheesemakers to secure start-up funds.
Last July, Sacramento played host to the annual meeting and competition of the American Cheese Society, and California cheesemakers received top honors. In a field of 1,685 cheeses and cultured dairy products, Oakdale Cheese & Specialties of Oakdale took home the top prize for aged Gouda, American made, Dutch style, and also garnered third place "Best in Show." Another venerable California cheesemaker, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co., won second place "Best in Show" for its Bay Blue.
So where do you start if you'd like to try your hand at cheesemaking?
The California Cheese Trail website offers a wealth of information about cheesemaking classes for everyone from the novice making their first ricotta at home to professional certificate programs. Likewise, Grown in Marin, a resource of UC Cooperative Extension in Marin County, posts an exhaustive list of resources for the North Bay, epicenter of the California's artisan cheese movement.
The ninth annual California Artisan Cheese Festival takes place March 20-22 in Petaluma. This celebration of real California culture brings together artisan cheesemakers, chefs and the public for three days of seminars, tastings and farm tours.
