Larry Peter, owner of Spring Hill Jersey Cheese company and Petaluma Creamery, grew up in Sebastopol, CA. His father, Virgil Peter, worked for 40 years in lumberyards. His mother, Georgia Peter, grew gourmet potatoes and sold them at local farmer's markets where she eventually became known as the "Potato Queen." Virgil and Georgia always wished they could have raised their kids on a dairy farm.

As a young man, Larry worked in agriculture picking prunes and raspberries. He washed milk bottles; bottle fed calves, and drove a forklift for ten years while he learned the business.

In 1986 Larry bought a run-down dairy farm in Two Rock and brought it back to life. By 1998, he was producing nearly 500 pounds of Spring Hill Jersey Cheese that he initially sold by himself at farmer’s markets.

In 2004, Larry purchased the nearly 100-year-old Petaluma Creamery, a historic landmark for the dairy community, with the goal of growing the Spring Hill brand and also to support local dairy production. Larry’s dedication to the industry and the area has inspired new life and economic growth to the farming families of Sonoma and Marin counties.

Over the past 20 years, Larry’s commitment to community came in the form of the Peter Pumpkin Patch. Every year, families were invited to visit the dairy farm where they could taste pumpkin ice cream, dig their own potatoes, milk a cow, go for a hay ride, pet baby farm animals and pick out the perfect pumpkin while their parents listen to live music and enjoy free cheese tastings. It’s a wonderful opportunity to build a connection with the local community and to teach families and kids about where their food comes from.

He supports local business organizations, as well as youth agricultural clubs like FFA and 4H to ensure that the strong farming traditions of his beloved Northern California are passed on to the next generation.