Petaluma, Calif.-based Marin French Cheese Co. says it introduced a new logo and packaging design to increase consumer awareness of its status as the oldest artisan cheesemaker in the United States. The company originated in 1865 when the pioneering Thompson family began making high-quality soft-ripened cheeses using French techniques in the coastal terroir of Marin County, just north of San Francisco.

Marin French Cheese Co. says it has long been a favorite of food lovers seeking handmade artisan cheeses. With its rebrand, the company’s products stand out on shelves with new, more visible, easy-to-read labels and colors specific to each flavor.

“The decision to rebrand arose because consumer research indicated low brand awareness,” says Manon Servouse, marketing director for Marin French Cheese Co. “Many thought that Marin French was a descriptor of cheese style, not our company name. The new logo and design reaffirm Marin French Cheese Co. as the country’s oldest cheese company, rooted in a tradition of artisan French-style cheesemaking in the unique terroir of Northern California.”