Straus Family Creamery in California: History, What It Makes, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Straus Family Creamery in Marshall, on Tomales Bay, was founded in 1994 by Albert Straus as the first 100% certified organic creamery in the United States. It grew from a family dairy that Bill Straus started in the early 1940s, and in 2019 it became the first dairy company in the world to earn TRUE Zero Waste Gold certification.
| Location | Marshall, Marin County, California |
|---|---|
| Founded | Dairy in the early 1940s; creamery in 1994 |
| Sectors | organic dairy; yogurt, butter, ice cream, milk and cream; renewable energy |
| Scale | Current herd and acreage are not published on the company's story page |
| Why it is elite | First 100% certified organic creamery in the U.S.; TRUE Zero Waste Gold (2019); Organic Lifetime Achievement Award for Albert Straus (2025) |
| Ownership | Straus family; Albert Straus leads the company |
| Official website | Straus Family Creamery official site |
History of Straus Family Creamery
Bill Straus started the family dairy on Tomales Bay in the early 1940s with a small herd of Jersey cows, and Ellen Straus joined the farm in 1950. Their son Albert took over farm operations in 1977.
In 1994 Albert founded the creamery, the first 100% certified organic creamery in the U.S. The company has since added organic yogurts, butter, ice cream, sour cream, kefir and glass-bottled cream-top milk. The Organic Trade Association gave Albert its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.
What Straus Family Creamery Grows and Raises
The company's products carry USDA Organic, CCOF Certified Organic and Kosher certifications, and its products are Non-GMO Project Verified. Its site describes a carbon neutral farming approach built on organic production, carbon farming and a methane digester.
The creamery earned TRUE Zero Waste Gold certification in 2019 and a regional green leadership award the same year. Its product line runs from retail dairy to wholesale products for restaurants and cafes, including barista milk.
How Straus Family Creamery Makes Money
Branded organic dairy
The creamery turns organic milk into higher-value yogurts, butter, ice cream and bottled milk sold under a recognized brand.
Wholesale and foodservice
The company lists wholesale products, which extend sales beyond grocery shelves into restaurants and cafes.
Sustainability as differentiation
Certifications such as organic, Kosher, non-GMO and zero waste help the products stand out and support retailer relationships.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Straus Family Creamery
Straus shows that being first can create a durable brand. Albert Straus moved to organic early, built the creamery to match, and kept adding verified claims over three decades. Producers can make claims credible through third-party certification rather than marketing language alone.
A second lesson is that a family farm can scale through products instead of acreage. Packaged dairy, a processing plant and careful sourcing can reach far more customers than direct farm sales. Producers should review costs, financing and USDA organic transition programs before committing.
Tomales Bay has foggy mornings, and a herd that has heard the word organic more times than it can count. At farm.FM we file the whole scene under farm satire, because a cow in a glass bottle deserves a good caption. Our farm humor and ranch humor fans appreciate that the farm jokes write themselves when the cream rises to the top.
If the name is new to you, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site, with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers on the side. One of its regular writers keeps a whole archive of stories like that.
How to Contact Straus Family Creamery
Website: https://www.strausfamilycreamery.com/
Phone and address were not printed on the pages reviewed; use the contact page on the company's own website. Product availability and tours vary, so confirm before traveling.
Straus Family Creamery Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Straus Family Creamery official site - The company's own website
- Straus Family Creamery story - The family and company timeline
- Straus Family Creamery on Wikipedia - Independent encyclopedia summary
- USDA organic - Federal organic standards and programs
- CDFA dairy - State dairy program resources
Straus Family Creamery FAQ
Where is Straus Family Creamery?
It is in Marshall on Tomales Bay in Marin County, California.
What makes Straus Family Creamery notable?
It was founded in 1994 as the first 100% certified organic creamery in the U.S.
What certifications does it hold?
The company lists USDA Organic, CCOF organic, Kosher, Non-GMO Project Verified and TRUE Zero Waste Gold certifications.
What does the creamery make?
It makes organic milk and cream, yogurt, butter, ice cream, sour cream and kefir.
Straus Family Creamery shows how a Marin County dairy built a national organic brand from a family farm. For wider context on California dairy and organic markets, read the California farms guide and the other profiled operations.