Rumiano Family Cheese Company

• Certified Organic
• Kosher
• American Humane Certified
• Non-GMO Verified
• Gluten Free

On the far northern coast of California, shrouded in fog and bordered by the Redwoods, sits Rumiano Cheese Co. – an award-winning, family-owned cheese and butter company.

The landscape and climate there near Crescent City are perfect for grass-fed dairy cows. The primary permanent pasture in the area is made up of Selina clover, red clover, rye grass and other coastal grasses. It’s an abundant, low-stress environment for cows.

“We really do have the happiest cows,” said Jody Rumiano. “Many of the dairies we buy our milk from are third and fourth generation dairies that we’ve been working with for decades. Without quality milk, you don’t get quality cheese and butter.”

Produced primarily by Jerseys, the rich milk of the grass-fed cows makes Rumiano butter extra delicious. Research also shows that milk from pasture-raised cows contains more CLA fatty acids than milk from cows fed mostly feed, plus grass-fed farming is better for the environment. All the milk used by Rumiano is antibiotic- and rBST (bovine growth hormone)-free.

In addition, all Rumiano’s organic dairies are American Humane Certified Free Farmed® through the American Humane Association, which makes Rumiano Organic Cheese the first Humane Certified cheese in the world.

Richard, Fred and John Rumiano emigrated from Italy to America at the beginning of the 20th century. They worked in the mines of Amador County in central California. In 1919, the brothers purchased a dairy farm in Willows.

Throughout the 1920s, the Rumianos experimented with making butter and cheese. By the mid-1930s, they were one of the largest cheese manufacturers in the state with eight factories scattered throughout California, Oklahoma, Oregon and Washington but have since downsized to just California.

All of our dairies are small local family owned dairies located in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties in Northern California.

The unique year-round climate which ranges from 45-60 degrees Fahrenheit, allows year-round access to pasture, it rains but doesn’t snow. The cows are either grazing in the pasture eating a combination of rye-grass, clover, and other grasses, or are being fed it in the form of silage or haylage, which is being cut now and throughout the summer for next years winter feed.

The dairymen feed a small ration of grain to help keep the protein level up in the milk, which makes better milk for making cheese and keeps the cows healthy. You can compare the color of our Monterey Jack with other cheese to see that the yellow is a much richer color because of the high beta-carotene which is derived from the grass.