My friend organized a private weekday tour and tasting here to celebrate my birthday. Our group of 7 had a fantastic time! it started with a presentation on the overview and history of this family farm, then a tour of the cheesemaking facilities and barn where the dairy and beef cows hang out. We met their farm dogs, took photos with the sweet cows, and saw the family working around the property. We then ended with a tasting of their products: cheese, curds, and kefir (all delicious!) Since it was a birthday party, my friend brought a picnic lunch which we enjoyed along with the cheese. We ended by choosing to buy a selection of the cheeses we liked, to take home and share. I was thrilled to find they sell at my local farmers market - I plan to buy more of the Herby Curds when I've run out of cheese next! read more

Achadinha Cheese - Cheese Tasting - Cheese Shops Near Me - Petaluma, California

My husband and two kids did the farm tour this weekend. While it was very interesting to get such a close up view of a family owned and run working dairy farm, I do not recommend this tour for families. While they sell discounted tickets for kids 5-12 and kids under 5 are free, we and all the other families there found the tour to be a real struggle for our little ones. We all felt a little misled about the experience based on the online description. It's a lot of standing very still (in rooms with equipment that shouldn't be contaminated by guests, or next to equipment that has cow poop on it), listening to the owner talk for long stretches. We expected more movement around the farm and time outdoors, instead of something closer to a lecture with a large group in tight spaces. It also ran over time (to 2 hours!) ending with a nice close up visit with the cows and some small cheese samples. We did really enjoy meeting the cows and learning the details of how cheese making works. It is a real labor of love. I think there's a lot of potential here; the Achadinha tour has all the ingredients for an awesome visit but could use some editing. This tour could easily be 30 minutes, an hour tops. We would've liked to stay and buy some cheese but by 1pm we were all starving and fled to find lunch elsewhere. Other parents shared they would've had a great time there on a date, but definitely wouldn't go with small kids again. I'll also flag that they require you to step through a decontamination footbath to go inside the facilities. There were a lot of miserable people in sandals who had to get their feet wet in the chemicals. Closed toed shoes that can get wet recommended for this tour. read more

I spent $28 for about 11 ounces of cheese curds and feta cheese at the Pleasant Hill farmers market 2 days ago. The cheese curds were acceptable, though nothing so special as to be worth the price. However, the feta cheese was so salty I had to throw it out; there was no decernable milk or cheese flavor left, just salt. I suspect that this "last one" they had was old. Shame on you for charging such high prices for one basic and one absolutely terrible products. read more

Had a wonderful tour of the farm, cheese making process and got to taste their cheese, butter and kefir. They had a bunch of baby cows, and we got to pet calves that were just a few days old. Their cheese curds were delicious, and the butter was to die for! Definitely worth checking out! read more

Achadinha Cheese - Cows! - Cheese Shops Near Me - Petaluma, California

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Review for the cheese/farm tour. I went during the summer, and unfortunately, they didn't have goats. I actually chose this place for the tour because the site mentioned that there's be goats and cows, but in reality, they haven't had goats on their premise for a while. They do have lots of cows (including babies) and some pigs. The doggos were great hosts though! We were told that they were planning on buying more goats again in the future. Their products were still made with both cow + goat milk. I loved the charisma of our tour guide. She was a great storyteller and shared informative knowledge about their business. I also really enjoyed the sampler tasting we had at the end of the tour...except it does just feel like "sampler tasting", because we would also buy the items if we liked it. We loved the spicy cheese curd, and I loved their butter. The set up felt like how vendors at farmers market would put out their samples though. Overall, not bad, but I was expecting more for the price of the tour. For example, it'd be nice if we could try out the cheese/butter at the beginning while we were sitting and listening to the background/operation of their farm? Or put that out in the middle/before we walked around? And then, at then end, wrap up with souvenir station for the cheese and butter so it doesn't feel like giant sales pitch of their product. The walk through of the cheese making area felt slightly rushed too. It felt more like a peek than a tour of that area, probably because they wanted to keep that area clean. I saw photos of people taking closer view though, so not sure how they were able to get so close. read more

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Went on a tour today and had a fantastic time " Donna" was absolutely fabulous taking us through the history of the farm and the family,what they do and how they do it.....and the dogs were just amazing. I would definitely recommend doing a cheese tour! read more

Achadinha Cheese - Family Farm - Cheese Shops Near Me - Petaluma, California

What a cool experience! You get to learn about the history and family dynamics along with the process of making cheese! I found out about this place because I bought some yogurt from a local farmers market in the Bay Area and it is to die for! I highly recommend trying it. I really enjoyed the tour. My only suggestions is figuring out a better situation for the bathroom and having better signage, it's kind of confusing us to where to go. I will definitely be coming back at some point to do the learning how to make cheese! It's a wonderfully family owned company. #supportsmallbusiness read more

Achadinha Cheese - Cheese Shops Near Me - Petaluma, California

Discovered this wonderful company at the Castro Farmers Market in San Francisco. I was drawn in by the curds, which taste far better than the ones I grew up with in the Midwest. I have fond memories of the squeaky packing peanuts, but with a more educated palate I'm now a convert to their delicious non-squeaky blended variety. So glad they had samples. This company has meats as well, and give tasting tours at their farm. I also hear that unlike San Francisco, they provide an experience of actual warm summers. Really looking forward to visiting the farm & tasting all their cheese varieties. Bonus for me, a big herd of goats! I so love goats. read more

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There are several brands here. Achadinha Cheese Company, Pacheco Family Dairy, & Pacheco Family Meats. Today at the Divisadero Farmers Market San Francisco they brought a selection of Beef, Pork, Lamb, to the market. The woman managing the booth was very friendly, but try and get here early for the best selection. Farming since 1955. read more

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If I could rate the service I got today I would give this company a zero!! Found them at the Mid town market in Sacramento. The sales guy Darrin was super friendly and convincing so we bought package we thought at the time we were getting there. Turns out we had a two week wait which was fine being a small farm we understood. Yesterday I got to thinking I have not heard anything about the sale or pickup info so I reached out to the salesmen To follow up on details of the order. Darrin again was fast to respond letting us know that he no longer works for them and followed up with a number to follow up with the sales manager at the farm. So after reaching out to find out if our order was going to come I decided to ask if we could add ground beef to the order thinking we could pay for the remainder of the order at pick up since we had already paid for the package earlier. I had the complete bad luck talking with Jared. Who stated we can't do the ground beef and pay for it at pick up we would have to pay for it now. Feeling a little uneasy about giving more money with nothing at hand I pushed back and asked why we couldn't pay for it at pick up. I got the response about how people no show and this assures them. I asked about what assurance we get for now having to pay for more with out product. How do I know you will show up. I don't feel good about giving more money until we pick it up. This is where we go back and forth all day. Not once did I hear them take responsibility for the people they hire to sell the products at the farmers markets. It's the private contractors they use and this one was a shit show. It's all Darrin's fault and they will absolutly not accommodate our needs that because they have no control on who they hire to represent the company. After a few back and forths I decided to cancel the order. Asked for a refund. Then I am told they can't refund me the original method I which we I paid. Then every excuse comes out as to why they can't. Again with the fault placement. All day long this goes on. Then at 745 I get a response after I asked him to stop texting me I get a Venmo payment and a snarky funny comment. I would steer ( hahaha) clear of this business. The product of what we got we good but they way they handled their clients is shitty. To many other farms around to deal with one that can't run the business side better. Good Luck read more

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This place offers farm tours ($35/person) that can be booked online, which include full ranch tour, cheese plant tour, cheese tasting, and animal TLC. Covid protocol was followed with masks required whenever we were indoors and toothpicks were given during the tasting portion so people could grab the cheeses and move away from the table to try them. Donna is super personable and does a great job giving an overview in the beginning to help you understand the farming lifestyle and the cheese making process. You get to see where the cheese is made, as well as where the dairy cows and goats are milked. Afterwards, you get to see the different animals in person including baby cows if they're around! At the end, there's a cheese tasting portion where you can try the soft cheese, hard cheese, kefir, butter, and curds. We ended up buying the apricot kefir (literally amazing and some of the best I've had) and the Broncha, which is a hard cheese. I learned a lot during the tour and as a bonus, many of their products were delicious! read more

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I'm a sucker for cheese. I pretty much eat it for each meal! So the love is true! I have spotted Achadinha Cheese Company at 2 farmers markets now. Once at the Saturday Napa farmers market and also at the Martinez Sunday farmers market. Because of my love for cheese I was drawn to the table like a bee to honey! It's like I blinked and my feet took me right to my happy place! This girl knows exactly what she wants! I haven't seen where I could buy cheese curds before so it was a no brainer what to get when I saw them on the table! Both times too! This last trip I got the original mellow yellow curds. They are so creamy and delicious! I have enjoyed them plain on a good piece of crusty bread so far but I can wait to fry them up! I have always wanted to try fried cheese curds but they aren't so popular here in the Bay Area! Time to make them myself! read more

Achadinha Cheese - Cheese Curds! - Cheese Shops Near Me - Petaluma, California

Went on a Saturday tour and tasting with my family and the experience was wonderful and informative. We all thoroughly enjoyed learning the family's history, their evolution in the business and how they've continued to pivot and find ways to keep going over the years, as well as the process of making cheese, milking cows/ goats and generally about the animals. The cheese, butter and spreads were delicious! The animals were awesome. Covid protocols were upheld, which we greatly appreciated. They have a bunch of working dogs that escorted us around the tour (except inside the cheese making area). I wouldn't bring my dog and I'm not sure they let you, so if you're trying to do that, ask first. Wear boots or shoes you don't mind getting some dirt on- it's a working farm! We saw the cows and the goats, up close and personal. Totally cool!! Highly recommend. read more

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Great cheese! Nice People! At many farmers markets. Even saw them in Sacramento. Butter is award winning. read more

The kefir cheeses - 10/10! Holy wow. I could sit and eat them with a spoon and be perfectly content. Who am I kidding, I absolutely sat and ate them with a spoon. SO GOOD. We had a strawberry one and a bavarian cream one. Highly recommend. I will be buying more very soon. Apparently they switch out the flavors so I'm excited to see what else there might be. The cheese curds were also very good, though I've had cheese curds before and knew what to expect. I'd never had kefir cheese and didn't know what my life had been missing. My life was already blessed with cheese curds. Absolutely go to the farm or find them at the farmer's market and make your life instantly better too! :) read more

Great tour of a true working farm. The owner was knowledgeable n insightful. The cheese tasting was good n the animals are happy on their beautiful farm. Great back story, tour n fun outdoor activity in the area!! read more

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I really enjoyed the butter and cheese I've purchased in the past. Not cheap of course. Last time I purchased was at a farmers market at least 4 or more months back. Today I received a notification from my bank with a transaction from Achadinha cheese. Weird. Hope they are not scamming their people because what are the chances someone would steal my card and use it at the same place I made a purchases in the past? read more

i came upon the Achadinha Cheese Company. described what i like, firm not creamy, with a slight tart & heavy flavor. got recommended a slab of Broncha (12) which is year aged blend of pasteurized cultured Goat & Cow Milk, Salt, Enzymes. (on package) on receipt reads: "cowricious is an aged goat cheese that is hand rolled in an old European way rubbed with olive..." tasting it now. so impressed. whatever one it was. it fits my palette. he also gave a cantaloupe from Smits Farm gratis read more

Achadinha Cheese - Signage - Cheese Shops Near Me - Petaluma, California

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This was such an interesting tour. I learned so much about the art of cheese making...it is so complex. The cheeses we tasted were yummy!

I have to say that I have been a cheese fan from my childhood days and as I got older, my taste has developed and evolved. I could eat cheese all day and care less about calories, but that's only hormonal. Came here for a teambuilding and learned about how cheese is made on top of what they feed the animals to produce good milk and cheese. The tour was led by Donna who was very personable and informative. Learned a lot and definitely have more respect for cheese and for farmers and quality farms in general after coming here. We tasted butter and different cheeses and we were in cheese heaven. After the cheese tasting, we were led to see the animals and how they're milked, cleaned, eat, stay, sleep, etc. I've never been on a real farm before and this was so cool to be on because it felt like what you read in books or see in movies. After seeing the animals, we bought the cheeses that we liked. I bought 2 cheeses and a butter. The butter is UH-MAZING. Salted and creamy and REAL butter from grassfed cows. The butter was the BEST I ever had and I'm so sad it's almost finished...yeah I'm a pig when it comes to quality. read more

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Despite it being overpriced, we've been buying these cheese curds at the Farmers Market at CSM for years, it was a treat the kids could eat while we shopped. Today, my 3 young my kids (6,6 & 9) asked if they could make the purchase themselves. I gave them a $20 and sent them off while I shopped at a neighboring stand. Unfortunately, the person who helped them saw an opportunity and upsold my kids to spend the entire $20. Upselling little kids who barely have a concept of money was pretty surprising to me. That's slimy behavior. We won't be buying this product any longer. read more

We bought these cheese curds in Brentwood and they are so good. Our family lives in Wisconsin and there cheese curds are wonderful. We are so excited to have cheese curds locally. read more

Achadinha Cheese - Best Cheese Curds - Cheese Shops Near Me - Petaluma, California

Love this place! We did the farm tour and we have been at their booth at the Healdsburg Farmer's Market. The farm tour is fun and informative. We had to reschedule our tour because half of our group got Covid and it was very easily rescheduled. We plan to do the farm tour again soon and share it with other friends. We have to drive 45 minutes to see them at the Healdsburg Farmer's Market and they are a lovely addition to the market. The young man at their booth was very friendly and nice. He was not as knowledgeable about the meat, but what he lacked in knowledge was made up for in his friendly attitude. The beef was good as well. read more

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Such a great tour! $30 for adults, less for kids. There's cheese tasting at the end, you bet we bought some. I immediately stopped at Whole Foods after for crackers to eat my blanc fromage with! Donna tells you about cheese making, farming, the farm's history. I was struck by what a precarious business farming is, a turn in the economy, a glut of product, a disease wiping out a herd can be the death of a farm. It gave me a healthy respect for the risk and business, and what a labor of love this is. GREAT cheese, great people. And dogs who need belly rubs! We even got to see a day old baby cow and artificial insemination. The circle of life!!! read more

My wife and I were on our first dairy farm tour in Petaluma at Achadinha. Totally fascinating! Learned about what it takes to be successful as a small family farm, their cheese making process, the dairy cows, the meat cows, the dairy goats and the meat goats. We didn't meet the sheep or pigs. I learned a bunch and had a ton of fun ending in a little cheese tasting at the end. I hope to visit other farms. I'm guessing it will be hard to beat the quality of the Achadinha experience. read more

I was at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market when the cheese curds caught my eyes. I recently tried cheese curds when my coworker went home to Wisconsin and brought back bags of different cheese curds flavor. I spoke to the nice gentleman about fresh and packaged cheese curds. He knew this was my first time trying fresh cheese curds. I wish he told me it needed to be eaten that same day. I am now eating it 2 days later and there is absolutely no squeak. I went on Google and found out once you put it in the fridge, moisturize gets in. So I basically just paid $11 for a small portion of regular cheese. read more

Achadinha Cheese - Cheese Shops Near Me - Petaluma, California

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The cows are diseased and they do not disclose this fact to the guests. When asked about it, they tell us that it's ok because it's not contagious. This is NOT completely true. BE AWARE of this. As guests are allowed to pet the animals, diseased animals should be disclosed so that parents can decide if they will allow their children to pet them. read more

At $40 per person, I found the farm tour overpriced. I'm not blind to the fact that tour revenue helps keep the family business afloat, but for that amount of money I expected a more memorable experience than this: 60 minutes listening to the farm's history of ups and downs, as told by the proprietor; 30 seconds peeking into the cheese-aging room from an adjacent hallway; 5 minutes in the empty milking room; 10 minutes looking at cows and goats resting in the shade; 5 minutes eating a few small nibbles of cheese on toothpicks. If there had been some demonstrations of cheese-making or animal husbandry, I would have been more satisfied. read more

We found these guys at the Tuesday farmers market in Napa. And so happy we tried their products!!! I bought their lemon cows milk kefir with the thoughts of using this in salad dressings. But after getting it home I just can't stop snacking on it!! It tastes like whipped lemon bars!! Delicious and light!! Then we also picked up their feta which I am actually using in the salad. But try all their cheeses. Their hard aged cheese is also to die for!! Super yummy products they make with great care!!! read more

Achadinha Cheese - Kefir and the feta. Yummy - Cheese Shops Near Me - Petaluma, California

Stopped by the Achadinha Cheese Company booth at the Stonestown Farmers Market today with my elderly grandmother. My grandmother visits from the Middle East frequently & loves stopping by farmers markets and picking up different cheeses, honeys, etc. She asked the man at the booth if they had any Parmesan (her ultimate fave) & he explained that they didn't but had a cheese that was similar. He offered my grandma a sample (nice of him) and she said it was ok. She asked him how much the price was and she told him the cheese was delicious but a bit expensive. He then rudely responded with, "WELL EVERYTHING IN CALIFORNIA IS EXPENSIVE!" First off all, don't be rude to an old woman who barely speaks English when she was nothing but nice to you. Second of all, no sh** it's expensive here Sherlock, we've lived in SF our whole lives BUT thank you for the input Mr. Pescadero man LOL. Third, if your cheese is that great, you could've explained why it was more on the pricier side. read more

This weekend we went on the cheese tour and booked ahead of time. Apparently so did about 60-ish other people...and their farm cannot handle anywhere near that amount of people. I would guess the actual amount for a comfortable tour would be around 15-20 people. The head cheese maker, wife, and tour guide explained that usually they don't take that many people but it's the off-season and they could use the money since they don't go to as many farmers' markets. Great. So, you need money so you knowingly over book your tour when it's 40 degrees outside and raining creating an overly unpleasant environment for everyone. I'm sorry, we spent $75 on this tour for 3 adults to stand around huddled in the mud for two hours and learned nothing that isn't on the website or in photos featured here on Yelp. read more

Found this cheese at the Crocker Galleria farmers market downtown SF. Food: They had tastings of a lot of their cheese and kefir. My favorite is the broncha (cheddar cheese). For me it was the most flavorful and delicious cheese I have ever tried. Everything I tried was great. Service: The man that was at the farmers market was so sweet! He was so excited to let us try out a bunch of cheeses and explaining how they were made. They were out of the broncha cheese the first time I went but luckily they had a sample left so I could try. I had to come back the following week and get some!! I highly recommend checking our this booth at the farmers market! Try a sample and see for yourself. Buy local :) read more

Achadinha Cheese - Broncha - Cheese Shops Near Me - Petaluma, California

The tour of the farm is a neat experience and intro into the cheese making process. You get to see the cows and the whole process a small farm goes through to make and market their product. The cheese tasting at the end is nice and you can buy some if you'd like. 20 or 30 $ donation per person is suggested at the end of the tour. Fun tour. read more

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Like Mz J. down in the reviews I also picked up some cheese curds at the Ferry Building Farmers Market and I regret doing so. I've had cheese curds before and these are not good. There is no squeak. It just tastes like, and has texture of young cheese but at a ridiculous price tag. Do yourself a favor and skip those. No comment on other products. Those look rather good, but I am annoyed enough where I'll probably skip this stall next time and just hit up Point Reyes which has never failed me before. read more

Love this place. I want to live here. The cheese making class was informative and hands on. The farm itself is nicely kept and maintained. The cheese was pretty damn good. You can definitely tell it's a family operation. It's good sized but small enough to still be personable. Book ahead for the class, it's a lot of fun. Esp if you love food and farm animals. read more

I first found out about the California Crazy Curd when I attended one of the Farmers Market in Martinez, CA after I had tasted all the flavors my favorite was: Herbie Curd. Yummy!! It is best if you put it in your eggs OMG, can you say delicious! Customer service was great! Lady that was helping me decide was very patient, knowledgeable and had TONS of energy! I would love to be able to come to Achadinha for the Cheese Making Tour and actually be able to get the full experience but in the meantime I will keep going to the Farmers Market and getting the cheese! read more

Achadinha Cheese - California Crazy Curd (Herbie Curd) - Cheese Shops Near Me - Petaluma, California

Great tour! Really, a nice, wholesome activity, as we escape from the City for the weekend. Donna, gave us loads of information on both the science of cheese making as well as family farm life. We got to see: -an artificial insemination of one the cows (shoulder deep! ;) -check out the cheese cave and learn about the process -meet some 1-month old calves and baby goats -Taste fresh and aged cheese and much much more at the end of the tour, you can buy cheese, they also sell goat and cow meat i forgot to check out the prices but if we visit again, I'd love to pick up some goat meat. read more

An intimate and informative cheese-making tour at a family-owned farm. I came to Achadinha for the Cheese-Maker tour and class. More than a class it was really a tour, but with a lot of personal interaction as the groups are small. We got a chance to see and learn about the curdling process, got a chance to look at the fascinating cheese ripening rooms, and even got a chance to meet some of the animals. The farm has lots of goats and cows, some chicken, a handful of dogs, a cat, and one duck. The owner and tour guide Donna was extremely friendly and informative. She gave us a lot of the personal history of the family and the farm. After the tour, we got a chance to taste some of their different cheese alongside some wine. The tour ended with a lovely and delicious lunch with some sandwiches brought from a local deli. Everyone also got a chance to take some some set curds to eat fresh or ripen to their liking. We also got a free duck egg. For $100, I think the tour and all that was included made it definitely worth it. You won't be a cheese-making master after the class, but it will definitely serve as a good starting point and some inspiration. Recommended for a very unique and fun experience! read more

Love love love! I just love nice friendly people and yummy cheese! Such a duo power! Super friendly people and my son probably had a cheese platter with all the samples they gave us! They even gave him a lollipop after, of course after mommys approval Our favorite is the Herbie, Mellow Yellow and Broncha! We will definitely buy from them again! read more

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The cheese tour at the farm is amazing! It was fascinating to hear the story of how this farm originated and became what it is today. Donna was a great tour guide for her farm and I loved the TLC time with the cows and goats. We got to taste the cheeses on the tour and just had to buy some to take home with us. Would definitely recommend booking the tour. read more

Achadinha Cheese - Cheese Shops Near Me - Petaluma, California

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