Sisters Return To Family Farm To Craft Artisan Cheese

Joining the world of cheesemaking was a big change for the Giacomini sisters — even though they grew up on a dairy farm where they returned to run as a cheese company for their parents.

The level of cameraderie surprised them. The specialty cheese business was having a rebirth at the time, with the rise of cheesemakers like Cowgirl Creamery and Redwood Hill Farm and Creamery. Rather than facing rivalry, the Giacomini sisters found abundant support among the other women-led cheese businesses in Northern California.

“The environment in the artisan cheese community was so supportive of young cheesemakers getting started and joining in that it was really kind of extraordinary for us, especially coming from our different business backgrounds where we hadn’t been used to that non-competitive nature,” said Jill Giacomini Basch, who serves as chief marketing officer for Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co in California. Lynn Giacomini Stray is the company’s chief operating officer, and Diana Giacomini Hagan is the chief financial officer.

To read the rest of the story, please go to: San Francisco Business Times