BELLEVILLE, Ont. – An Ontario goat dairy is banking on consumer cravings for unique cheese varieties and regional flavours.
Dino and Sonja Iannuzzi, who farm near Belleville in Prince Edward County, will begin supplying a nearby artisan cheese plant in January.
They are expanding their Capricorn View Farm and increasing their herd of purebred Alpine, Nubian and Saanen goats to as many as 500 in the future.
They are also building a 12,000 sq. foot barn and 2,500 sq. ft. milk house and parlour with state of the art equipment and technology.
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The new $1.8 million Fifth Town cheese plant will take most of the milk from the Iannuzzis’ Nubian goats, whose high butterfat content is suited to cheese making.
Dino Iannuzzi is optimistic that the plant will be able to instill a taste of the county into the sheep and goat cheese, but he still plans for contingencies.
“One should always have a Plan B in any type of business,” he said.
For him, that includes retaining shares in the Ontario Dairy Goat Co-op and supplying it with excess milk during any plant shutdowns.
In addition, the Iannuzzis will continue to supply goat meat to ethnic markets, citing Italian, Caribbean and Muslim tastes for the lean meat.
The couple plans to create a multimedia room with windows overlooking the milking operations to accommodate school tours without compromising biosecurity.
In addition, the Iannuzzis hope to produce vacuum-sealed seasoned meat in the future.
“You can increase your bottom line by adding value or adding service and by taking it to the next level,” said Iannuzzi, who predicted an increase in prices from $2 a pound for a live goat at an auction to $15 a lb. for packaged meat products.
Iannuzzi grew up in the city and has experienced a steep learning curve in goat husbandry, helped in large part by his wife’s years working in a dairy operation and her extensive educational background in agriculture.
Their combined expertise and barn management attracted Petra Cooper, owner-operator of Fifth Town, who will use the milk from the Iannuzzi farm and two others in the district to produce about 7,000 litres of goat and sheep cheese a week.
Cooper is targeting local markets and plans to sell much of her cheese at an on-site shop.
About half will be sold to distributors, with the remaining amount shipped to boutiques and restaurants.
Cooper said goat’s milk produces unique tastes in cheese and might offer alternatives for some people who have problems digesting cow milk.
It has less lactose, is naturally homogenized and is more easily digested. It is often suggested as a replacement for breast milk in infants, she added.
The goal is to make Prince Edward County known for its unique Fifth Town cheese varieties and promote the local flavours of animals raised and fed locally.
She noted how every farm milk tank has a different aroma, based on the breeds of animals milked and feeding practices.
“Whatever smell is in the milk will taste in the cheese,” Cooper said.
Her vision is to create an integrated, sustainable, environmentally friendly plant using fresh local milk from well managed animals.
Cooper is targeting a marketplace focused on healthy eating, sustainable lifestyles, social justice and “responsible capitalism.”
Monetary incentives are incorporated into milk contracts with producers who are certified humane to ensure animals are well cared for, have ready access to fresh water and are adequately housed.
