Wine Country Times

Another year, another batch of bovine and milk-related puns from the Bay Area's most adored dairy farm: Clover Sonoma, a third-generation family-owned-and-operated farm since 1916, recently celebrated the 50th birthday of their loved mascot, Clo the Cow, and looks forward to sharing her wonderfully punny quips for many more years to come. 

A trip through Sonoma County can't be complete without coming across one of Clo's iconic billboards since she was introduced in 1969. The advertisements feature the simpering bright-eyed bovine alongside a dairy-related play on words, including "San FrancisClo" and "Clover the Hill" in honor of the heifer's 50th birthday. 

State Sen. Mike McGuire joined in the play on words on his Twitter account, where he joked that Clover Sonoma's milk-making mascot has been "milking it for all its worth" for over half a century. 

"Generations have grown up with Clo the Cow, loving her billboards across NorCal," McGuire wrote in an April 3 tweet. "She has never steered us wrong. Here's to another 50!"

Clo's attention for her 50th birthday is so widespread that she was given a spotlight from SF Gate; the food, entertainment and culture publication spoke with Bay Area locals and Clover Sonoma executives to highlight the cow and her puns' legacy. 

Kristel Corson, Clover Sonoma's Chief Revenue Officer, told SF Gate that the creative engine behind Clo's billboards and quips has been freelancer Anne Vernon for over 20 years. 

“We try to think of different themes or we have different messages we’re trying to get across,” Corson said. “We’ll give that to her and she’ll come back with a slew of different visuals.”

Many potential dairy puns never make it on Clo's big screen; the Clover Sonoma team will typically only pick one out of anywhere from 10 to 15 ideas that Vernon brings back to the company for use. 

Corson explained that this is because the farm wants everyone to "get it" when it comes to the selected pun. 

"There are some puns that take a little bit to catch them," she said. "When we show it to a broad spectrum of people and they all get it, the visual and pun work together, those are the ones that are usually the most successful."

All of the behind-the-scenes work put in to make Clover stand out has paid off, according to Bay Area locals. John Muller, an area resident, told SF Gate that, no matter how many different brands of dairy a grocery store has to offer, it will always be Clo's cheesy grin beckoning from a gallon of 2% that draws him in. 

"There's so many other brands of milk out there that are on the shelf and my eye will naturally catch Clover," Muller said. "Clover always stands out."