Why Goat Milk

Remember the slogan from years back that proclaimed that cow milk “does a body good”? We like to think that goat milk does a body better!

 

While cow’s milk and goat’s milk share many nutritional benefits, goat’s milk is naturally higher in protein, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin A. It is also lower in sugar and contains more of the essential fatty acids that are easily digested by intestinal enzymes. With ten percent less lactose (milk sugar), smaller fat globules, and a chemical similarity to breast milk, goat’s milk is also much friendlier to sensitive digestive systems.

Until a decade or so ago, goat’s milk was neither homogenized nor pasteurized in an effort to maintain its many beneficial vitamins.  Unfortunately, this raw milk, and the products created from it, often had a very distinct “goaty” taste. But recent advances in technology and science, coupled with a better understanding of goat feeding and care have vastly improved and refined the industry. In fact, there are currently more gold medals given to goat’s milk cheeses than all other dairy products combined!
In the right hands, goat milk and goat milk products are absolutely delicious. There is nothing quite as satisfying as persuading a goat goods skeptic to give goat a chance – or another chance, as the case often is. In nearly every case, we have converted cynics into satisfied Skyhill customers!

While goat’s milk has a huge presence worldwide, its consumption in the United States is currently far below that of cow’s milk. However, American goat farms and dairies are growing and expanding to meet an increasing demand for goat products.

 

Goat products tend to be more expensive than their cow counterparts for several reasons. While cow dairies receive government price supports or subsidies, goat dairies do not, and therefore must factor the actual cost of production into pricing. Additionally, because it takes ten goats to give the amount of milk of one cow, milking goats is far more labor intensive. Finally, most goat dairies are family farms which cannot maintain the enormous scale of large, corporate farms.