People

David Jablons and Tamara Hicks with their daughters, Josy and Emmy, and 4 full-time and 4 part-time employees

About

Longtime lovers of the West Marin landscape, David Jablons and Tamara Hicks were so inspired by the region’s agricultural history that in 2003 they purchased 160 acres of rolling pasture a few miles from Tomales Bay and dubbed them Toluma Farms. With capital from the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) and a USDA rural development grant, the couple embarked on several years of intensive land restoration. Tomales Farmstead Creamery was born in 2012.

Today, the family raises several animal breeds recognized for their high-quality milk, including  Alpine, La Mancha, Nubian, Oberhasli, Saanen, and Toggenburg dairy goats and East Friesian sheep. The creamery’s cheeses bear Coast Miwok names in honor of the land’s first human inhabitants; for example, Atika, meaning “two,” is an award-winning aged goat and sheep’s milk cheese.

Sourcing

The creamery’s farmstead cheeses are produced exclusively with milk from Animal Welfare Approved herds raised on certified organic pastures.