PETALUMA, CA
Marin French Cheese Company is celebrating its 150th anniversary in the industry. In order to mark this major company milestone, Marin French will be holding private promotional events for trade partners and celebratory public events for customers at its creamery home, the 700-acre Hicks Valley Ranch outside of Petaluma, California.
“At Marin French we are passionate about cheesemaking,” says Philippe Chevrollier, General Manager. “We respect traditions and the craft of cheesemaking while striving for innovation. Our cheeses reflect Marin’s unique coastal environment and milk from happy cows.”
Local food producers, wine, cider and mead-makers, and the cheesemakers in the North Bay join Marin French for picnics, barbecues, live music, seasonal celebrations as well as family-focused educational programs on cheesemaking, beekeeping and dairy life. These festivities are planned to take place on:
In line with the company's emphasis on working with the local community, all of its cheeses, including Brie, Triple Crème Brie, Camembert, Schloss and Petites, are made exclusively with milk from neighboring family farms.
Since its founding by Jefferson Thompson as Thompson Brothers Creamery back in 1865, Marin French has been a leader in the industry. It has come a long way since the days when the Thompson Brothers delivered fresh cheese by horse and wagon to San Francisco's saloons. Back in those days, Marin French was known for its “Breakfast Cheese,” which drew its name from the dockworkers who would eat it for their morning meal before heading off to work at the port. By 1926, Marin County had become the largest producer of fresh cheese in California, largely on the back of its Rouge et Noir brand, according to a press release.
Every year brought with it new advances and new changes. Skip to 2011 with the company's purchase by the Rians Group, Marin French has modernized its operations with:
Marin French was honored as the first American company to be awarded Gold Gold in a European competition for Triple Crème Brie in 2005. More recently, the company received three out of four awards in the soft-ripened category at the 2014 World Cheese Awards. There, its new cheese Supreme won the coveted Super Gold award. Furthermore, in the 2015 Good Food Awards, Petite Breakfast was named a Finalist.
Congrats on this milestone achievement, Marin French!
