Pete Demsher's family-operated goat farm in Westchester, PA, creates an ever-expanding array of wholesome, sustainably produced goat products. For the past six years, all the steps of production have been carried out on his farm with his own goat milk. His family keeps a herd of 33 purebred Nubian goats, with his wife, daughter, and one employee helping out. They focus on producing a high-quality milk which they've found is the secret for making a high-quality product. They've been so successful with this formula that they're looking into new ways to expand this year. Even with more goats, Pete is beginning to work with a few other nearby farmers who also keep dairy goats. He projects having about 2 1/2 times more business this year than last. Even so, the demand is so high that he doesn't currently produce enough product to take on new customers.
Shellbark Hollow currently produces fresh cheese (chevre), fresh sharp cheese, an aged mold-ripened cheese, kefir, yogurt, ricotta, and raw goat milk. Pete describes his products as high-quality, leaning toward gourmet, and very important to him. Making good, sustainable food is one reason why his work is so important to him. He also calls farming a passion - either you love it or you don't. He clearly does, and first fell in love with raising goats in the mid-1970s when he helped his sister with her herd. The idea of getting goats of his own stayed in the back of his mind until one Father's Day when he attended a horse show with his wife and two daughters. There, they heard about a friend's doe who had just given birth to two baby goats. His daughters were so persuasive that his wife gave in, the whole family went to see these two newborn goats, and, sure enough, the goats went home with them. The herd has grown since then, and Pete has gone from making cheese as a hobby for his family to becoming a licensed producer.
Even though he clearly loves it, running a small goat farm isn't easy. Pete combines his dairy business with another full-time job, and has discovered that sleep isn't the easiest thing to cut back on! It is also a challenge to find good help - not many people are willing to take on the job of raising goats, manure and all. Pete doesn't mind the manure one bit, and embraces taking care of his animals as the most important aspect of his business. Good healthy animals are what make a quality sustainable product possible. Pete sees a high demand for this sort of product, and not just for his own farm. He predicts that local farms and markets are going to make a comeback, and that consumers will move away from supporting large conglomerates as they really start to wonder where their food comes from. He sees this movement already in motion as people learn more about food; for example, the age of most milk in the grocery store is 2-3 weeks old. Farms like Shellbark Hollow provide an alternative, where the farmers are very conscious of freshness and quality and truly care about their animals and products.
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