cheese company the logo of the marin french cheese company type private founded 1865 founder jefferson a. thompson headquarters 7500 red hill road petaluma ca 94952 united states area served california products artisan cheese owner rians website http marinfrenchcheese.com the marin french cheese company is a manufacturer of artisan cheese located in rural west marin county california . the company was founded in 1865 by jefferson thompson and produces cheeses under the marin french cheese brand name . it is the oldest continually operating cheese manufacturer in the united states . 1 contents 1 history 2 products 3 awards 4 facilities 5 agricultural heritage 6 see also 7 references 8 external links history edit early antecedents of the company may go back as far as 1854 although historical records from that era are sketchy . other accounts state that a local woman named clara steele roped wild spanish cattle in the area to make cheese starting in 1857 . 2 it is known that jefferson thompson established the current company in 1865 and his descendants continued the business for 133 years . the company used the rouge et noir brand name from 1906 until 2013 when the marin french cheese brand was created . howard bunce former operations manager for the company described their original product in the early years we made a granular cheese it was a bar cheese that was served to san francisco dock workers it was shipped by paddle wheeler down the petaluma river to san francisco . 2 in the 1930s the dairy herd was decimated by disease and was replaced by jersey cows from oregon . in 1998 bob thompson sold the business to the boyce family of bishop california operators of organic cattle ranches in eastern california and nevada . jim boyce said that the company has a symbiotic relationship with the local dairy farmers who supply much of its milk . 3 mr. boyce died in 2010 and in 2011 marin french was purchased by rians the respected french family of cheese producers that also owns laura chenel s ch vre in neighboring sonoma county . 4 5 products edit an assortment of marin french cheese company products the company s original product in 1865 was a breakfast cheese which was transported by horse drawn carriage to petaluma and then carried by steamboat to san francisco where it was sold to waterfront dockworkers . they still manufacture this breakfast cheese . other products include brie camembert ch vre bleu and washed rind triple creme schloss . in 2015 petite breakfast wears the commemorative vintage label 1865 to celebrate their 150th year and honor their cheesemakers who sustained the craft over decades . awards edit in 2005 the company s triple creme brie won top honors in the pasteurized milk brie category at the world cheese awards in london . this was the only gold medal awarded in the class that year . 6 the company also won the america s national trophy best american cheese for its yellow buck chevre goat s milk camembert that same year and has won dozens of other awards at california national and international competitions in the 21st century . 7 petite breakfast has been selected a winner in the 2015 good food awards . 8 facilities edit the marin french cheese company is located on a 425 acre 1.72 km2 dairy ranch in the hicks valley and includes a 9 000 square foot 840 m2 cheese processing and retail sales facility as well as a variety of barns storage buildings and a picnic area . although the company has a petaluma address it is located 11 miles 18 km southwest west of that city . it is 11 miles 18 km northwest of novato . the company also conducts art exhibits at its location . 9 agricultural heritage edit the company collaborates with other local cheesemakers in marin and sonoma counties to support the annual california artisan cheese festival held in petaluma . 10 former company s owner jim boyce describes their philosophy we remain dedicated to a rich heritage of artisan craftsmanship that has been passed down through the generations . marin french cheese company now produces more than 40 different styles and varieties of cheese yet each is handmade the same patient way one cheese at a time aged in the original hand dug cellar and then hand weighed and packaged . 11 see also edit companies portal food portal list of cheesemakers references edit sonoma wine country marin french cheese co. . sonomauncorked.com . retrieved march 26 2010 . a b blum andrea october 3 2002 . west marin returning to cheese making past . point reyes station california point reyes light . archived from the original on september 5 2008 . retrieved march 26 2010 . saekel karola april 7 1999 . marin cheese ripe for choosing french specialties are finding favor beyond bay area . san francisco ca san francisco chronicle . retrieved march 26 2010 . jackson brooke february 4 2015 . french cheese pairs well with american can do . zester daily . marin french cheese company announces new owner . business wire . april 26 2011 . retrieved february 20 2015 . fletcher janet april 14 2005 . the cheese course london calling petaluma triple cream brings home the gold . san francisco ca san francisco chronicle . retrieved march 26 2010 . nationally and internationally recognized for excellence . marin french cheese company . retrieved 26 march 2010 . 2015 winners . good food awards . retrieved february 20 2015 . gimmler christine may 15 2008 . marin french cheese company use permit pdf . marin county community development agency . retrieved 26 march 2010 . bieberich yvonna march 25 2010 . preserving a rural way of life artisan cheesemaking helps support local agriculture . santa rosa ca santa rosa press democrat . retrieved march 26 2010 . cheese yogurt milk and butter marin french cheese . savor california . retrieved march 26 2010 . external links edit company website coordinates 38 08 15 n 122 42 35 w 38.1374 n 122.7096 w 38.1374 ; 122.7096 retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title marin french cheese company & oldid 739171792 categories cheesemakersvisitor attractions in marin county californiacompanies based in marin county californiadairy products companies of the united statesfood manufacturers of the united statesfood and drink in the san francisco bay areapetaluma california1865 establishments in californiaamerican cheeseshidden categories coordinates not on wikidata navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated changesupload filespecial pagespermanent linkpage informationwikidata itemcite this page print export create a bookdownload as pdfprintable version languages add links this page was last modified on 13 september 2016 at 05 33 . text is available 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