This article, written by Heather Irwin, originally appeared in The Press Democrat on August 4, 2025. Photos by Beth Schlanker / The Press Democrat.
Valley Ford Cheese & Creamery is the real Sonoma County secret
Rural realness, award-winning cheeses, delicious pastries and more bring together locals and visitors at this cheese factory and cafe.
Nestled between west Sonoma County’s sprawling dairy farms and the blustery coast is the tiny hamlet of Valley Ford, population 146. The blink-and-you’ll-miss-it rural crossroads is little more than a collection of historic buildings — a post office, three restaurants, a grocer, a surf shop and Valley Ford Cheese & Creamery.
Clad with barn siding and awash with rural charm, the 5,500-square-foot building is a working cheese factory, café, coffee shop and town hub. Dairy farmers and ranchers sit elbow to elbow with posh tourists and cheese aficionados making their way along the Sonoma Cheese Trail.
Karen Bianchi-Moreda, a fourth-generation dairy farmer and cheesemaker, is usually somewhere in the building, chatting with customers, coordinating cheese deliveries with her son, Joe Moreda Jr., or inside the creamery’s cheese aging room. Visitors can sometimes catch a glimpse of her through large glass windows as she checks aging wheels of her award-winning Estero Gold cheese.
Dairy is the soul of Valley Ford Cheese & Creamery, housed inside a former wool mill (which was also an antique shop, offices and a deli over the years). Joe Moreda Jr. manages a herd of Jersey dairy cows just down the road, and their fat-laden milk is used in everything from aged and fresh cheeses to soft-serve ice cream, grilled cheese sandwiches and steaming lattes.
Valley Ford Cheese & Creamery is kid- and dog-friendly, and offers lactose-intolerant options (vegan soups and salads are available). It also is a perfect coastal pit stop for morning pastries, takeaway grazing boxes or casual lunch made by in-house chef Tali Aiona. And don’t forget a few extra wedges of cheese for the road.
Fun fact
It takes 9 gallons of milk to make a single wheel of Estero Gold cheese.
The vibe
The “real” Sonoma County isn’t curated farm dinners on influencer Instagrams. This Sonoma Coast outpost is as authentic as it gets.
The food
Get there early for coffee and morning pastries with the surfers and farmers. If you’re headed out for a picnic, grab a Grazing Box filled with sopressata, salami, olives, nuts, dried and fresh fruit, and their Grazing Girl, Estero Gold Reserve, Highway 1 and fresh cheese curds.
Grilled cheese sandwiches with kimchi are a staple, along with a tuna melt and rotating frittata. Daily specials include soups, sandwiches, salads and the occasional ramen bowl. Don’t leave without a swirl of their gelato-like soft serve made with milk from their Jersey cows.
The perks
Head outside to the dog-friendly picnic tables. The pasture view is calming.
The tab
Sandwiches, salads and soups cost between $12-$15.
The spot
14390 Valley Ford Road, Valley Ford, 707- 875-0703, valleyfordcheeseco.com
You can reach Dining Editor Heather Irwin at heather.irwin@pressdemocrat.com. Follow Heather on Instagram @biteclubeats.
