California's Best New Cheeses for 2025
California cheeses
Cheesemaking in California reaches back over 200 years, and the Golden State continues to push forward as a leader in the American artisan cheese movement. In 2025, that has meant traditional cheeses, but also innovative flavors. “California has a long history of innovation, and few dairy categories better exemplify that than cheese. Today’s consumers are continually looking for new items and flavors that push the envelope,” says Lizzie Werber, Director of Business Development for Real California Milk. Her examples of creative, envelope-pushing flavors that debuted in 2025 include Nicasio Valley’s Foggy Morning with Jalapeño, Fiscalini Farmstead’s Balsamic Onion Cheddar, and Marin French’s Everything Breakfast Brie.
Marin French Cheese Co. Breakfast cheeses
This year, Marin French Cheese Co., America’s oldest cheese company, is celebrating 160 years of cheesemaking. At the heart of their celebration is the brand’s flagship cheese, Petite Breakfast, a distinctive 4 oz. fresh brie, beloved for generations. It skips the aging room for a creamy texture and bright tang. To mark this milestone, Marin French is expanding its beloved Breakfast Range with three new offerings:
Marin French Cheese Petite Breakfast Chive
Chopped chives add a herbaceous flavor and a savory finish to their rindless brie.
Marin French Cheese Petite Breakfast Everything
Who needs the bagel? Everything spice blend adds a savory flavor and a crunchy contrast to their creamy brie.
Marin French Cheese Big Breakfast
A larger 8 oz. format of the classic that maintains all the beloved characteristics, a fresh, firm paste without the bloomy rind. It melts, crumbles, and cooks with ease, offering the same tangy flavor in a more versatile size.
Just Creamery Paneer
JUST Creamery, a new company, was founded by a pair of Portuguese and Indian cheese lovers who couldn’t find the cheeses they craved. Their 200 cows are lovingly cared for on their farm in Modesto and fed with apple and carrot pulp plus alfalfa. Their A2/A2 milk Paneer has 'just' 2 ingredients, with no preservatives, not even salt. Paneer is a fresh, non-melting cheese, similar in texture to firm cottage cheese and farmer's cheese. It is rich in protein, has a neutral taste and is good for dishes where it can absorb flavor, like the Indian dish, Saag Paneer. “Our paneer is handcrafted in small batches, just like one would make it at home,” says founder Abhinav Anand. “It is soft and creamy, yet sturdy enough to hold its shape in your favorite curry, tossed into salads, or grilled to perfection.”
Cypress Grove Olive & Herb
Cypress Grove, of Arcata, opened in 1983. It was started by Mary Keehn, a self-proclaimed “serious hippie,” after her purchase of two goats and an inspiring trip to France. With a thick line of ash down the center, her classic Humboldt Fog paid homage to the fog often blanketing the expansive Humboldt County coastline.
Cypress Grove released their newest flavor in the summer of 2025, Olive and Herb, which adds savory, briny green olives and a touch of rosemary to their signature creamy goat cheese. The inspiration came from their production manager who grew up on the East Coast and missed the olive cream cheese found in many delis there, says Marketing Director Christy Khattab. She adds, “Others loved it for its reminiscence of a dirty martini!” This flavor taps into an apparent growing appetite from consumers for bold, adventurous flavors, with flavored goat cheeses now representing at least half of fresh goat cheese sales.
Fiscalini Farmstead Balsamic Onion Cheddar
Fiscalini Farmstead started as a dairy farm over 100 years ago. Today the fourth generation owns and operates the business. In 2000, on a trip back to Switzerland to explore his family’s roots, John Fiscalini discovered that his ancestors made their living by creating cheese and decides to follow their lead. Two years later, their cheddar wins “Best Farmhouse Cheese in America.”
Their new Balsamic Onion Cheddar is made in the traditional English style, infused with balsamic vinegar and toasted minced onion. It is a complex cheese, tangy and bold, with notes of a rich French Onion Soup. This semi-hard cheese is made from pasteurized cow’s milk and handcrafted into 40-pound blocks. Says sales director, Rebecca Buhler, “Our Balsamic Onion Cheddar is rich and savory with layers of umami. We use our Farmhouse Cheddar recipe for the base and then onion undertones emerge (warm, toasty, slightly sweet), with the balsamic cutting through with mild acidity and fruity caramel tang, finishing with a savory balance.”
Nicasio Valley Cheese Company Jalapeno Cilantro Foggy Morning
Handcrafted on their 100+ year old family dairy with fresh, organic cow's milk. They blend their award-winning fromage blanc-style cheese with jalapeno and cilantro to create a robust but not overpowering taste experience.
“At the beginning of the year, we were looking to add to our collection of Foggy Morning with flavor added,” says Rick LaFranchi, whose grandfather started the business. “We wanted something that had a ‘wow’ factor and set out trying many different flavor combinations. Our sister Jan came up with a recipe for Jalapeno and cilantro which we thought had great potential.” They were able to source shelf stable jalapeno from a local farmer friend. The jalapeno flavor is balanced with cilantro, which adds some citrus and herbal notes to the sharpness and heat of the Jalapeno. LaFranchi explains, “The heat and spiciness of the cheese reach a certain point and then stabilize, so while it has a nice kick it never goes too far.”
Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery Bella Ricotta
As spring arrived, owners Margie and Joel Weber, owners of Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery in Clovis, found themselves with extra milk and creativity. “We had multiple requests from consumers for a new product such as ricotta,” says Margie Weber. Their cheese maker, Lucia, who reportedly enjoys challenges, figured out how to create this new cheese. It took her multiple attempts and much input from chefs and trusted judges to great a balance of taste, texture and flavor. Bella, named after the queen of the Weber’s Nubian goat herd, was the result. It has a mild taste and texture, and Margie recommends it with fresh fruit or for stuffing peppers and as a wonderful addition to their line of other goat cheeses, brie, gouda, feta, Manchego and Esrom styles.