What began in 1997, as a dream to rebuild a hay barn that could house a creamery, a produce stand, a spot for grab and go food, and a cheese shop just inland from the coast in West Marin County, became the artisan cheese mini-empire known as Cowgirl Creamery. The creamery started out with milk supplied by their neighbor, Straus Family Creamery. They made simple, fresh cheeses and then developed the triple creams, Mt. Tam and Red Hawk, which cemented their reputation in the artisan cheese world. Today, they produce triple creams, soft-ripened cheeses, an array of cultured products, and a semi-firm washed rind cheese, all with cow milk from dairies within the region. Founders Sue Conley and Peggy Smith set up a Cowgirl outpost in San Francisco, following the model of European producers and groups of producers who would have retail outlets in large cities. At their retail store in San Francisco’s Ferry Building Market they sell cheeses from numerous domestic and European cheesemakers in addition to their own collection. For the first eight years they were in business, all of their cheese was produced from the small facility in the barn in Point Reyes Station. Finally, in 2008, they expanded, building a second cheesemaking and aging facility in addition to more space for their wholesale/ distribution business, Tomales Bay Foods.
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