About 10 days after the singer Tina Turner died, I “met” Tina Turner, the cheese robot in West Marin, CA. She was performing on film.
This chance encounter happened because two of us Womentravelers decided to drive out to the Pacific Coast on a chilly foggy day in the San Francisco Bay Area. We started with lunch at Nick’s Cove, in Marshall, CA, on my destination for delicious fresh seafood (often coupled with a stop at Hog Island Oyster Co.) on Tomales Bay when I’m in the North Bay coastal region.
Crossing through the steep hills of dairy pastures and ranches, then turning south down the narrow coastal road that threads along Tomales Bay, we turned left at the orange poppies and a sign for R. Giacomini Dairy in Point Reyes. We were feeling adventurous, yet prepared to be turned away should we stumble on someone’s fenced-in private land. Suddenly there was an inviting new sign – “This way for cheese!” At the top of the long winding drive past several large dairy barns, we saw a small sign for “market.”
Inside was the simple welcoming showroom for cheeses produced under the Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. brand, which is a women-owned business, and one of their two creameries (the other is in nearby Petaluma). Three sisters, the great granddaughters of Italian Tobias Giacomini, left other careers in the mid-1990s to take over the family-run dairy, reduced its size to limit environmental stress on the precious land and in 2000 turned the business into an artisan farmstead cheesemaking facility. Their hand-crafted “Gouda,” creamy buttery “Toma” and rindless “Original Blue” are among my forever artisan cheese favorites from my years living in Marin County and the twice-weekly farmers markets within walking distance over at the fairgrounds.
To continue the legacy of their family and its respect for the environment, the co-owners have also established an award-winning model for sustainable farming by harvesting methane-powered renewable energy. “Because the happiness of our cows depends on health diets and land stewardship, sustainability is placed above all else,” they tell us. Methane-powered renewable energy powers 50% of the farm; water is reused and recycled; carbon sequestrations practices reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And, as they state on their website, “To ensure cow comfort we’ve recently installed state-of-the-art robotic technology in our two dairy parlors.”
That’s where Tina Turner, the Cheese Robot comes in. Their “girly” theme extends to all parts of the business – for example, over 55% of the workforce are women. You can read more about Jill Giacomini Basch, Lynn Giacomini Stray and Diana Giacomini Hagan on their website and in Food People.
In the retail shop, you can sample (and purchase) all the brands, pick up cheese-related serving items and books and learn about the cheesemaking process from a continuous loop film on a small monitor. Robots milk the cows, so they can give milk whenever it suits them, and Tina’s job is later in the process, to turn and brush every wheel of Toma and Gouda.
The marketplace is open weekdays, and the farm features tours, tastings, special events and more, including “virtual tastings.” You can read about all the Experiences here.
Although we couldn’t tour the barns, from what we could tell, these are truly “happy” cows, beneficiaries of sustainable agriculture and the innovation, energy and wit of wise women.
Visiting West Marin:
Nick’s Cove (and check out their 12 unique cottages in renovated boats along the shoreline) – 23240 Highway One, Marshall, CA 94940; tel: 415.663.1033 [warning – cell service is lousy in the area so call before you start driving]
Hog Island Oyster Co. – outdoor oyster farm, outdoor dining (picnic tables), to-go and tours, 20215 Highway One, Marshall, CA 94940; tel: 415.663.9218
Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. – 14700 Highway One | P.O. Box 9, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956; tel: 800.591.6878
