Fiscalini and Pedrozo Dairies were recently profiled in a feature article titled "The Handmade's Tale" in the Sacramento News & Review on Dec. 17, 2009.

Fiscalini Farms, located in Modesto, Calif. (south of Sacramento), has been a milk-producing farm for 90 years and successfully started making award-winning cheeses nine years ago.

Fiscalini's San Joaquin Gold cheese is aged 16 months and has an earthy, nutty flavor and style that owner and cheesemaker John Fiscalini says is unique to California. Fiscalini also makes a delicious Cheddar and European style hard cheese called Lionza. All of Fiscalini's cheeses bear the Real California Cheese seal.

One hundred miles north of Sacramento in Orland, Calif. lies the Pedrozo Dairy & Cheese Company. With 40 cows on 20 acres, owner Tim Pedrozo and his family produce more than 3,000 pounds of farmstead cheese each month, including Black Butte Reserve, Northern Gold and Blondie's Best. For Pedrozo, artisanal cheeses allow him the opportunity to experiment with different washes and rinds, producing exceptional results.

California dairy producers and artisan cheesemakers have been making a name for themselves for years and continue to produce excellent award-winning cheeses and dairy products that more than rival many of their European counterparts.

For more information on Real California cheesemakers, visit RealCaliforniaMilk.com/rcc