Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. began construction on a production and distribution facility at 454 Payran Street in Petaluma, Calif. This new location is 22 miles east of the company’s headquarters in Point Reyes, Calif., and will house a second creamery and aging warehouse as well as the company’s distribution center. This is Point Reyes Farmstead’s first expansion away from the Marin County dairy farm the family has owned since 1959. 

“We are quickly reaching production capacity on the farm, and want the ability to respond to increasing demand for our products in the marketplace. My sisters and I thought long and hard about if and how we would grow the company,” says Lynn Giacomini Stray, co-owner and COO. 

The new Petaluma creamery will be a production and aging facility for pasteurized cheeses, including fresh Mozzarella, Toma, Bay Blue and Gouda. Original Blue, the brand’s flagship, raw milk cheese, will continue to be made on the Point Reyes farm. Packaging and distribution of the full product line will move to the Petaluma location.

“My grandfather, Tobias Giacomini, came from Italy to this country over a 100 years ago, and raised seven children on his chicken farm, not far from our new location,” adds Bob Giacomini, founder. “Expanding our company to Petaluma brings our family story full circle, back to where it all started.”

“The move to Petaluma allows us to increase both the volume and variety of cheeses we produce, be more accessible to our network of distributor partners and to attract employees to a more convenient, suburban location right along the Highway 101 corridor,” says Diana Giacomini Hagan, co-owner and CFO. 

Point Reyes Farmstead purchased the new Petaluma property in July 2016 from Morris Beverage Distributing. Construction is estimated to take six months and was designed by vRA Architects, Petaluma, Calif., and E.A. Bonelli & Associates, Oakland, Calif.