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The Steenkamps often came to the farm with their four children.
photo: Gianina Schwanecke/Country Life
In the valley below the Brooklyn wind turbines in Wellington, Naomi and France Steenkamp are busy preparing for the birth of their next batch of children.
The couple and their four children have been supplying Wellington with fresh goat milk and goat milk products. Brooklyn Creameryfrom 2021 onwards.
“We’re probably the only capital city in the world that has a goat farm on the outskirts of the city center, which is pretty cool,” Naomi said.
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She told reporters that it has always been a goat Country Life. The rugged nature of the 40-hectare farm is perfect for them.
Initially, though, the family decided to make cheese after being inspired by a cheese maker in Kaikoura.
They soon realised that what Wellingtonians wanted was a basic food product – full-fat goat’s milk – and that the cheese market was already well supplied. All they had to do was “fill the gap”.
Goat milk has a natural A2 content, making it easier to digest. In addition, goat milk does not need to be homogenized because it does not separate, making it less processed than other milks.
The family knows most of the goats by name.
photo: Gianina Schwanecke/Country Life
A stroll through the paddock before afternoon milking, Country Life The many hostesses who were introduced to the flock. There was Tawny – one of Steenkamp’s first goats – easily recognisable due to her brown colour, there was chubby Victoria, who Naomi suspected would soon give birth to triplets, and of course Nibbles. Not surprisingly, she was prone to chewing the microphone cord.
Naomi knows all of them and calls them by name like old friends, no easy feat since most have the same white color as the Swiss Saanen goats.
“I have four of my own and now I feel like the midwife of the goat world because we care for goats from their first breath to their last.”
Frans identifies goats primarily by their udders, which he spends most of his time milking after finishing his job in the construction industry.
The farm has a total of 63 goats, about half of which are currently producing milk, most for the first time.
photo: Gianina Schwanecke/Country Life
Milking once in the afternoon not only fits the lifestyle of a busy family, but it also means the goats will be more comfortable at night, not have overly full udders, and spend the rest of the day grazing and producing more milk for the next day.
Currently, about half of the 63 goats are producing milk, with a daily output of 25 to 30 litres.
This is the first time the Steenkamps have been milking continuously during the winter.
“There’s a reason why a lot of farmers only (lamb) once a year and then retire the animals for a while to get strong before the next lactation season, and that’s what we did for our first two years commercially,” Naomi explains. “Last season we decided to try something different.”
Half the herd has been mated early, with the first calves born in May. The second half is expected to calve from now until early next month.
It’s milking time at Brooklyn Creamery outside Wellington.
photo: Gianina Schwanecke/Country Life
This means the family is able to supply Wellington with milk all year round. It also means there is more milk available to make new products.
“This push means we can finally launch some of the new products we’ve been trialling at the Seaside Market every Sunday,” Naomi said. This includes their new yoghurt range which will soon be available in-store.
“When you’re in the farm-to-freezer business, a lot of times we think about doing things for the customer, but we also need the goats. This really is a case of ‘Come on goats, let’s see what we can do here.'”
“We just bottle the milk that the animals give us and sometimes ship it to Wellington the same day after milking,” Naomi said. “After it’s been pasteurised,” added France.
The goats are herded into a 12-stall milking shed that is tailor-made for sheep and goats.
photo: Gianina Schwanecke/Country Life
Although not certified, this family farm uses the principles of organic and permaculture as they strongly believe in “circular systems.”
The farm is surrounded by a herd of wild goats, the remnants of the Kashmiri goat herd that roamed the hills before the industry collapsed in the 1980s.
While these wild goats are considered pests, Steenkamps’ flock is a force for good, with profits from a portion of the products they produce donated to Caprines for conservation projects such as pest and predator control on the farm, as well as planting and fencing.
“This is kaitiakitanga,” Naomi says. “Together with the goats and their milk, we are able to create beautiful products that are good for you, good for the environment and good for the whole cycle.”
The family also has a program to rinse and recycle bottles for reuse.
You can visit their website.
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