Extraordinary Health Magazine Extraordinary Health Vol 31 | Page 24

DON’T CALL THEM “CHEESE MAKERS”—
THESE ARE ARTISANS
The Rumiano family has been making cheese here for four
generations. That makes them the “new kid” on this block. There
are only 11 dairies in our Certified Organic, Grass Fed dairy co-op
and most of the farmers I met had a great, great, great, great
grandfather who staked their claim during the Gold Rush, arriving
right on the heels of Jedidiah Smith. The farms here, like the
Rumiano cheese factory, have been passed down from generation
to generation.
The Rumiano’s themselves are not farmers, though. They are
artisans. A large wall is decorated with all of the national and
international cheese awards they’ve won over the last century
of competition.
As I walk through the plant with Joby Rumiano, I get a sense
for how this family has managed to hold onto so much of its fine,
hand-crafted heritage throughout the generations. Joby is a
well-educated man in his 40s who remains fit surfing the cold
California waters. He’s clearly more at home outdoors, or inside
the factory, than behind his desk. But he’s become the family’s
resident expert on the USDA Organic rules, Non-GMO Project
Verification, American Humane Certification, and California land
and water usage acts.
Most impressively, Joby pioneered a massive sustainability
transformation with one of the most advanced water reclamation
systems I’ve ever seen. Rumiano reduced the factory’s use of
California’s water by 99%. And, they built an internal boiler heat
recovery system which actually powers their whey operation.
So, maybe Joby is more of a renaissance man, connecting the art
of cheese making with the science and engineering needed to
create sustainable systems.
22 Extraordinary Health ™ • Vol 31
Jeff Brams with members of the Alexandre (top) and Wetherell (bottom)
families, and Joby Rumiano.