Monday, March 21, 2016

California Heartland Episode 908

Journalist Turned Cheesemaker
an article written about Mandy for the California Heartland program.
You can still see the video here and listen to Mandy's voice.
Love and miss her. Always.

Mandy Johnston is a Journalist turned cheese maker. Out of college she landed a job as an editor with a lifestyle Magazine. She traded living an urban, hipster life, interviewing rock stars and celebrities for making cheese on her family farm. It didn't take much for Mandy to make that decision, when she heard her family's dairy, Pedrozo’s Dairy, may be put up for sale she knew it was her calling.

John, her cheese partner and boyfriend, also quit his job in the tile industry to pursue cheese making, alongside Mandy. The dairy is now called, Pedrozo Dairy and Cheese Co. These young cheese makers wouldn't give up their new lives for anything. It’s a small company which consists of Mandy and John making cheese, and her (step) dad who owns the dairy and milks the cows.

Mandy's decision became even clearer, when Mandy's dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer (now fully recovered), which pushed her to learn about the milking process as well, so she now milks the cows when needed! They sell their homemade, unpasteurized cheese at Chico and Sacramento Farmers markets and many markets and small shops around the Chico and Sacramento area.

Mandy's favorite thing about her new career choice is selling at the farmers markets. She says the close knit community of local farmers and friends that exists at the market is something that fills her with joy.

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