Crescent City/Willows, Calif. – Rumiano Cheese Company, California’s oldest family-
owned cheese company, today announced its commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. As a
first step in the process, Rumiano has introduced a climate impact program to accelerate its efforts to
improve the sustainability of its supply chain.
In pursuit of these goals, Rumiano today also announced it has partnered with the CDIC, a coalition of
California dairy producers, processors, major universities and the California Dairy Research Foundation
(CDRF), created to collaboratively drive dairy innovation and productivity. Established by the California
Milk Advisory Board, the CDIC supports industry innovation through grants, internships, research
projects and educational training.
With support from the CDIC’s Dairy Business Innovation Initiative, Rumiano has hired its first
sustainability impact intern to assess the company’s entire ecological footprint. Cal Poly Humboldt
environmental science major Ellie Frazier has spent the past two months collecting and documenting
comprehensive baseline measurements on all business activities that contribute to energy and water
consumption, resource usage, and carbon emissions.
With baseline data in place, Frazier has now entered the second stage of her research where she is
analyzing areas of the business that have the greatest opportunities for optimization and
environmental outcomes. Frazier’s research has already identified a number of climate impacting
opportunities around transportation and sustainable packaging, and she will be exploring additional
ways Rumiano can further reduce emissions by decreasing miles traveled of raw materials and finished
goods.
This collaboration with the CDIC builds on Rumiano’s long commitment to advancing sustainable
farming and production practices and a record of innovation. Rumiano has already made significant
investments in sustainability on several fronts. Ambitious initiatives range from its zero-waste cheese
manufacturing plant that recycles and repurposes everything from cardboard and plastic to whey and
wastewater, to the company’s in-house wastewater treatment facility that biologically treats 20,000
gallons of cheese production wastewater per day. This process not only prevents 99% of milk solids
from entering the environment through groundwater and rivers, it enables the water to become potable and usable for its community and puts clean water and food grade compost equivalents back into the
land.
Last year, Rumiano opened a new energy efficient 46,766-square-foot state-of-the-art cheese
packaging plant in Willows, California that will soon run on 100% renewable solar energy generated on-
site like the company’s existing facilities.
“As we work toward our long-range sustainability action plans, we are committed to continuous
progress across the entire supply chain. We know that over time, small changes in our farming,
manufacturing and packaging processes will lead to big transformations. But the greatest impact on the
health of our planet will lie in our collective ability to make pasture-based, regenerative farming
practices more affordable and accessible to all farms,” said Joe Baird, Rumiano Cheese Company’s
CEO. “Regenerative agriculture promotes healthier soils that absorb more carbon into the ground and
keep more greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere.”
“Progress relies on innovation and collaboration,” said Veronique Lagrange, Director of the CDIC, “We
value our partnership with processors like Rumiano and are pleased to offer support through the Dairy
Business Innovation Initiative to help them achieve their business objectives.”
About Rumiano Cheese Company
Rumiano Cheese Company has been in the dairy business since 1919 and is the oldest family-owned
cheese company in California. Four generations and 103-years later, Rumiano continues to be at the
forefront of the industry. A pioneer in organic and artisanal cheesemaking, Rumiano’s award-winning
dairy products are made from one of the best milk supplies in the world and are distributed in all 50
states, as well as internationally in Mexico and Asia. Rumiano was the first to market California’s iconic
Dry Jack Cheese which went on to become the company’s signature cheese winning several awards
over the years. In 2011, Rumiano Organics became the first certified non-GMO organic cheese in the
world, and is the market leader in the natural grocery store segment. To learn more about Rumiano
Cheese Company, please visit rumianocheese.com.
About The California Dairy Innovation Center
Established by the California Milk Advisory Board, the California Dairy Innovation Center (CDIC)
coordinates pre-competitive research and educational training in collaboration with industry, check-off
programs, and research/academic institutions in support of a common set of innovation and
productivity goals. The CDIC is guided by a Steering Committee that includes California Dairies Inc.,
California Dairy Research Foundation, California Milk Advisory Board, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Dairy
Management Inc., Fresno State University, Hilmar Cheese, Leprino Foods, and UC Davis.
