At a morning reception at the SF War Memorial and in celebration of National Small Business Week, the San Francisco District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration named Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company as the 2019 Small Business of the Year.
“It is an honor to be recognized as the 2019 Small Business of the Year, and we are grateful to our financing partners, Wells Fargo and Capital Access Group, together with the SBA, for supporting our vision for growth,” said Diana Giacomini Hagan, CFO and Co-Owner. “Our new state-of-the-art production, distribution and warehouse facility in Petaluma represents the realization of a three-year-goal to expand beyond the dairy farm in Point Reyes, in order to make and sell more hand-crafted, artisan cheese, grow our employee base and improve logistics for distributor partners.”
“The SBA is always proud to support family-owned businesses, but the fact that Diana, Lynn, and Jill have managed to produce quality, award-winning cheese while also preserving the environment and securing the future of their family’s business makes them eminently deserving of this recognition,” said Julie Clowes, SBA San Francisco District Office District Director. “The sisters are not only stewards of the environment; they also deserve credit for giving back to the community and supporting land preservation groups and efforts to permanently protect agricultural land in the North Bay.”
About Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company
In 1959 Bob and Dean Giacomini established their successful dairy farm just north of Point Reyes Station in Marin County, CA. In 2000, together with their daughters, the family began making hand-crafted cheese on the farm with milk from their own herd of Holsteins. In 2010, they opened The Fork, a culinary and educational center, offering farm-to-table educational experiences for both consumers and the trade. In 2018, now 100% Women-Owned by sisters Diana, Lynn and Jill, the company expanded to Petaluma, with the opening of a second creamery, warehouse and distribution center. The Point Reyes Farmstead product line consisting of Fresh Mozzarella, Toma, Bay Blue, Gouda and Original Blue, is available nationally at independent cheese shops and specialty grocers, at The Fork, local-area farmers’ markets and online at www.pointreyescheese.com.
