TOMALES BAY, Calif. — The journey began in 1904, when Tobias Giacomini left northern Italy to farm in California, a verdant land full of promise.

“Fast forward to 1959 when our parents, Bob and Dean Giacomini, purchased our dairy farm on Tomales Bay, north of San Francisco, and started making milk to sell to the local creamery,” said Jill Giacomini Basch, co-owner and chief marketing officer of Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. “By the mid-1990s, our father had grown the herd to over 500 cows and the farm established a reputation for producing the very highest quality milk.”

The dairy was too big for its 720 acres, causing too much stress on the land environmentally and on the small staff working on the farm, she said.

There’s an expression in the Giacomini family that says, when life gives you daughters — Lynn Stray, Diana Hagan, Karen Howard and Jill Basch — make cheese.

After pursuing various business careers, they came back to the farm, where they were raised, to help “right-size” the dairy and transition the business into an artisan farmstead cheesemaking facility.

In addition to being sisters, the three are now business partners and owners of Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. The fourth sister, Karen Howard, is no longer involved.

In August of 2000 the first wheels of Original Blue Cheese were introduced to Bay Area consumers.

The cheese company is their way of carrying on the family heritage, using the land they love, celebrating their passion for farm fresh food, and sharing it with an extended family of cheese lovers.

The happiness of the 450 Holsteins depends on healthy diets and land stewardship.

The farm harvests the methane the cows produce to generate renewable energy. Water is conserved through innovative reuse and recycling programs, and our nutrient-rich pastures are managed with attention to erosion control, Jill said.

Robotic technology allows the cows to be milked on demand.

Original Blue is made in the creamery exclusively from the milk from the farm’s Holsteins. Achieving the delicate balance of flavor and texture has made Original Blue iconic in the artisan cheese world and requires careful guidance and just the right passionate touch, Jill said.

The pasteurized cheeses — Toma, Toma Provence, TomaTruffle, TomaRashi, Quinta, Gouda and Bay Blue — are made at a second production facility in nearby Petaluma.

“While all of the recipes certainly rely on science, the true difference in our cheese comes from the craft, patience and inspiration of our cheesemakers,” Jill said. “Their hearts and souls shine through in the quality you can taste in every bite.”

The long-term plan is to keep working hard to continue the farm’s growth trajectory, she said.

“We aren’t going anywhere and really love what we do,” Jill said. “Right now we sell our cheese across the U.S., in Mexico, Canada, Panama and in seven Asian countries.

“The farm has sustained our family for going on four generations,” Jill said. “We feel honored, and obliged, to respect it in every way possible. Not only as a legacy to pass along to our children and their children, but as an example for farming and cheese making that promotes healthy food and a healthy environment for everyone.”