The artisan cheese movement is constantly growing, especially in big dairy states like Califorinia (to our great glee!). Here's an article from Janet Fletcher at the San Francisco Chronicle that focuses on the abundance of cheesemakers in Sonoma and Marin counties:

Twenty years after Bellwether Farms made its first sheep's milk wheels in Petaluma, artisan cheese making in Marin and Sonoma counties has reached critical mass.

"It's hard to find a dairy in Marin or Sonoma that's not either looking at adding cheese making or transitioning to certified organic to increase revenue," says Sue Conley, co-proprietor of Cowgirl Creamery in Petaluma. The newly published Sonoma Marin Cheese Trail map lists 27 cheese makers in those two counties alone, up from seven - Conley's estimate - in 1997, when her creamery opened.

To read the full article, click here