MEET THE PRODUCERS

Crescent Dairy Co goat’s milk; and the sisters making solar-powered juice.

The secret to delicious goat’s milk and yoghurt? Happy goats, say the farmers at Crescent Dairy Co

Maternity leave, al fresco exercise, a nutritious meal plan, ‘me time’ if you need space, other girls to mingle with if you don’t; not a bad life, by goat standards.

Animal welfare is “non-negotiable” for Emily and Gavin Ward, who run Crescent Dairy

Co in Waimauku, west Auckland. Their

11-acre property is home to 43 goats that once belonged to Emily’s parents; her mum was a bit of a whizz in the goat’s cheese making department. “I grew up with goats,” says

Emily, “and have always loved them. They’re inquisitive, affectionate and funny.” When her parents decided to sell the herd in 2016, Emily and Gavin – who lived next door to the farm with children Carter (nine) and Pania (seven) – bought it and moved to their current premises. So began an uphill slog worthy of the hardiest quadruped; long hours, intensive work but, at the end of it all, a delicious milk and yoghurt range (sold in Farro Fresh and independent retailers throughout the North Island).

THE LINE-UP

When the couple started out, it was difficult for people to get fresh, free-range goat’s milk, so that’s where they focused their attention. Plus “cheesemaking was really mum’s talent so we decided to leave that legacy alone,” says Emily.

Gavin had always been involved in branded clothing and footwear, so his input was invaluable when it came to turning Emily’s farming/goat experience into a viable brand.

The products include natural goat’s milk soaps, goat’s milk and yoghurt (plain or plum). At $12.50 for a four-pack of yoghurts, it’s tempting to bleat about the price. However, Crescent Dairy Co offers not just a product, but a guarantee of care for the animal that gave it to you. “It’s important the goats get to roam and be normal goats, not milk machines,” says Emily. “They’re only milked once a day, get their bucket of grain while they’re milked and then are free to graze the paddocks, lie under the trees, bask in the sun or wander back to the barns to munch on the hay.”

And yes, they do get time off. The goats, not Gavin and Emily. “They all get maternity leave each year so they aren’t milked during the last eight to 10 weeks of their pregnancy; this allows them to rest and get ready for the season ahead.”

The animals are milked at individual stands with a trough in front of them; they come in, hop up on the stand and get stuck into the grains while a small machine extracts the milk.

Together, the breeds of goats in the herd tick the twin boxes of volume and quality. “We have mainly Saanens: the big white ones that give big milk volumes. We also have Nubians, which give a lot less milk but it’s rich and creamy so they make our products nice and rich.”

HAPPY GOATS, HAPPY CUSTOMERS

Emily and Gavin have shunned chemical drenches in favour of a natural homemade herbal tonic they give to the herd each morning “which keeps them in excellent health year-round”. As for sustainability, packaging is 100 per cent recyclable, 100 per cent Nz-made – leaving a minimal carbon hoofprint. The milk and yoghurt is hand-bottled by Emily every day.

Last but not least, goat’s milk has digestive and nutritional benefits. It’s made up of tinier particles than cow’s milk, so it’s easier to digest. It also contains only A2 casein; it’s the A1 casein in cow’s milk that is often linked to intolerance.

What’s Gavin and Emily’s favourite way of using their products? “Goat’s milk is magic for frothing for coffees. And the kids love freezing the plum yoghurts into ice block moulds.”

So has it all been worth it? While the business is indeed all-consuming, the family love their rural lifestyle. And there’s the “massive buzz” of seeing their product on shelves. “It is really cool when I am re-stocking shelves in Farro Fresh and a customer comes up and tells me they buy our products or that they love it,” says Emily. crescentdairyco.co.nz

“I grew up with goats and have always loved them. They’re inquisitive, affectionate and funny”