Harvest Fair Names Clover-Stornetta’s Marcus Benedetti 2015 Outstanding Young Person in Agribusiness

Building on a history of hard work and innovative thinking, Marcus Benedetti is at the helm of Petaluma’s Clover-Stornetta Farms—protecting and preserving generations of family traditions while moving ever forward to maintain the health of his modern-day dairy business. A proven business leader with a wealth of consumer product experience, the 39-year-old is leading the family charge to reconnect the American milk consumer with the dairy farmer in a powerful way. Through his leadership, Sonoma County is now known across the country as the place where happy cows producing healthy milk live. The Sonoma County Harvest Fair is pleased to name third generation Sonoma County dairyman Marcus Benedetti as the 2015 Outstanding Young Person in Agribusiness.

Listening to consumers, taking care of local family farms, and caring about the well-being of hard working dairy cows; those are the hallmarks of Clover-Stornetta Farms, and CEO Marcus Benedetti has taken it upon himself to engrain them in the minds of moms, dads, and milk lovers of all kinds. Clover makes certified-organic, hormone-free and natural milk and other dairy products and distributes them in California, Arizona and Nevada. Benedetti took on the leadership role at his family business as President in 2006 and CEO in 2011. Since then, he’s led the charge to promote the value of the “unique terrier” of Clover Stornetta milk and dairy products, essentially promoting a regional appellation for milk, much like Sonoma County’s World-class wine appellations.

‘We’re being transparent and showing people where their milk comes from and how their cows are treated,” says Benedetti. “We only work with the most select group of small family-owned, multi-generational dairies. They understand that, in order to produce exceptional milk, you must take excellent care of your cows and your land,” he adds.

Marcus says his father, Dan Benedetti was the first to look at and address milk production and animal welfare differently. Clover-Stornetta was the first dairy in the U.S. to be American Humane Certified and the first dairy west of the Mississippi to offer milk that was certified free of the growth hormone rBST. Clover even developed their own set of quality standards, creating the North Coast Excellence Certification. This rigorous set of criteria guarantees that all Clover milk is sourced from producers who abide by the highest standards of animal welfare and environmentally-sound farm practices.

Benedetti was born into the traditions of good land stewardship and animal husbandry. His grandfather, Gene Benedetti founded Clover-Stornetta Farms. Marcus scooped Clover Ice Cream and did stints as Clo the Cow before pursuing a degree in Business Administration at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Upon graduation, he returned to Petaluma to work in the family business. He started in the chilled warehouse, moved up to delivering milk to schools and restaurants, and later worked as a sales representative. A strong family man and outdoor enthusiast, Benedetti is also an active community leader serving with such organizations as the Association of Independent Dairies of America, the Dairy Institute of California, the UC Davis Agriculture Sustainability Institute, Community Foundation of Sonoma County and Social Advocates for Youth.

The Sonoma County Harvest Fair is proud to honor Marcus Benedetti as 2015’s Outstanding Young Person in Agribusiness. The Harvest Fair and members of the local agricultural community will celebrate Marcus, along with his fellow Harvest Fair award recipients, during a ceremony and dinner to be held September 27 at Wells Fargo Center for the Arts. The celebration is open to the public with a limited number of tickets available at HarvestFair.org or at the Harvest Fair Box Office located at 1350 Bennett Valley Road in Santa Rosa.

The 2015 Sonoma County Harvest Fair will be October 4-6 at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. For more information, visit HarvestFair.org or call (707) 545-4203. You can also find "Sonoma County Harvest Fair" on Facebook.