PETALUMA, Calif. — As a result of the very successful ninth annual California’s Artisan Cheese Festival in March 2015, the Festival is pleased to announce it will donate an unprecedented $7,000 to fellow non-profit California Artisan Cheese Guild, an organization that provides year-round support to cheesemakers throughout the Golden State. California’s Artisan Cheese Festival, which this year attracted more than 2,000 visitors from more than 25 states, was held the third weekend in March at the Sheraton Sonoma County in Petaluma.
Besides donating funds to the California Artisan Cheese Guild each year, the California Artisan Cheese Festival also donates to non-profit organizations that support the agriculture and dairy industries in the North Bay. This year, donations totaling $4,000 were made to the Sonoma Land Trust, the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, the Petaluma Future Farmers of America, and the Redwood Empire Food Bank. The Festival has made donations totaling over $81,000 in its first nine years.
“For the first nine years of the Festival the Guild and its wonderful cheesemakers have played a central role in helping to educate consumers about the incredibly delicious artisan cheeses being produced in California,” said Tom Birdsall, founder and president of the Festival. “We are pleased to be able to give back to the people – the cheesemakers – without whom we would have no festival at all, let alone great cheese! We are now discussing a bigger role for the Guild in the 10th Annual California’s Artisan Cheese Festival in March 2016. The two make a perfect pairing, just like a well-aged cow’s milk cheese and a California Pinot Noir.”
Since California’s Artisan Cheese Festival began in 2007, the Guild has been the primary non-profit beneficiary of the Festival, but this year’s particularly successful event translates to even greater support for the Guild.
Mark your calendar for the 10th Annual celebration of California’s Artisan Cheese Festival coming up next year, March 18-20, 2016.
About California’s Artisan Cheese Festival
A 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, California’s Artisan Cheese Festival strives to increase cheese appreciation, educate consumers about artisan cheeses, support the cheesemaking community and its sustainability and celebrate the creations of California’s many farmers and cheesemakers. The Festival began in March 2007 as the first-ever, weekend-long celebration and exploration of handcrafted cheeses, foods, wines and beers from California and beyond. In keeping with its dedication to the community, the Festival donates 10% of all ticket proceeds to the California Artisan Cheese Guild, Sonoma Land Trust, Marin Agricultural Land Trust, Petaluma Future Farmers of America, and Redwood Empire Food Bank. To date the Festival has contributed more than $81,000 to these non-profit organizations that work to support the artisan cheesemaking community and its infrastructure in California. For more information, visit www.artisancheesefestival.com.
About California Artisan Cheese Guild
Founded in 2006, the California Artisan Cheese Guild is a state-wide organization of cheesemaker, cheese trade, and enthusiast members who work together to support California cheese. Guild members work to keep a traditional craft alive, to preserve flavors unique to our region and to protect valuable working farmland in a densely populated state. The mission of the California Artisan Cheese Guild is to celebrate the quality and diversity of artisan cheeses produced in California, through partnerships, outreach, and education. For more information, visit www.cacheeseguild.org.
Source: California’s Artisan Cheese Festival