Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese in California: History, What It Makes, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese is a fourth-generation Giacomini family business on Tomales Bay in Marin County. The sisters launched the cheese company in August 2000 with Original Blue, and the company now runs a creamery at the farm and a Petaluma facility, and employs about 125 people according to MALT.
| Location | Point Reyes, West Marin County, with a facility in Petaluma |
|---|---|
| Founded | Dairy purchased 1959; cheese company launched August 2000 |
| Sectors | dairy; farmstead and artisan cheese; agritourism |
| Scale | The family bought 710 acres in 1959 per the company; about 125 employees per MALT; no current herd size is published |
| Why it is notable | Women-owned family dairy-turned-cheesemaker with national distribution and a conservation easement on the farm |
| Ownership | Giacomini family; fourth generation |
| Official website | Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese official site |
History of Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese
The company traces its roots to Tobia Giacomini, who left northern Italy in 1904, and to Waldo Giacomini, who began farming at Point Reyes in 1938. Bob and Dean Giacomini bought the dairy in 1959.
By the mid-1990s the dairy milked more than 500 cows, and the family decided that herd size was not sustainable. Their three daughters returned to the farm and, in 2000, released the first wheels of Original Blue. The Fork opened in 2010 and the Petaluma facility in 2018 for aging, packaging and distribution.
What Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Grows and Raises
The company makes blue cheeses, a Toma family, bries, Quinta, aged gouda and spreads. Original Blue stays at the Point Reyes creamery, while the Petaluma plant handles aging and packaging.
MALT reports a carbon farm plan guiding rotational grazing, composting and soil health, plus methane capture, water reclamation and closed-loop waste systems. The family sold an agricultural conservation easement to MALT in 2006.
How Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Makes Money
Retail and wholesale cheese
Artisan cheeses are sold online and through stores found with the company's store locator, plus a trade program for wholesale buyers.
Gift packs and corporate gifting
The company sells gift packs, gift cards and corporate and volume gifting, a seasonal revenue line with a high price per pound.
Agritourism at The Fork
Tastings, tours, events and virtual tastings at the farm bring in direct sales and build the brand.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese
The Giacomini family chose value over volume. Cutting a herd of more than 500 cows and turning the milk into branded cheese gave a smaller dairy a better income per gallon and a smaller environmental footprint. Check your own milk-handling rules and local licensing before adding processing.
A second lesson is that a conservation easement and a strong story can support the business as well as the land. The family used both, combined with direct visits to the farm, to build trust with customers and chefs.
Few things in the dairy world beat a foggy Tomales Bay morning and a wheel of Original Blue. At farm.FM we file the Giacomini story under farm satire, because three sisters who turned a milk check into a cheese brand deserve a standing ovation and a cracker. Our farm humor and ranch humor readers agree the farm jokes only get better with age.
farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, also runs Tractor Tunes, a country music lineup for farmers. For a sample of the writing, try the archive of one of its staff humorists.
How to Contact Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese
Website: https://pointreyescheese.com/
No street address, phone or email was printed on the history page reviewed, so none is listed here; use the company's contact page, https://pointreyescheese.com/pages/contact, November 2026. Confirm tasting and event availability before traveling.
Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese official site - The company's own website and shop
- Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese history - Family timeline from 1904
- MALT: How the Giacomini sisters reinvented their dairy - Independent profile from the Marin Agricultural Land Trust
- USDA Census of Agriculture - Federal farm counts and sector data
- USDA NASS Quick Stats - County and state crop and livestock statistics
Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese FAQ
Where is Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese?
It is in Point Reyes, West Marin County, with a second facility in Petaluma.
When did the cheese company start?
The sisters released the first Original Blue in August 2000.
Who owns it?
It is owned by the Giacomini family, now in its fourth generation.
Can you visit the farm?
The company lists tastings and a visitor center called The Fork; confirm details on its website.
Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese shows how a Marin County dairy family moved from milk to a recognized cheese brand. For wider context on California dairy and farmland protection, read the California farms guide and the other profiled operations.