Dairy Sheep Symposium - the Department of Animal Sciences ...

FARMSTEAD CHEESE AND MARKETING
Steven and Jodi Ohlsen Read
Shepherd’s Way Farms
Nerstrand, Minnesota
At Shepherd’s Way Farms, we believe that there is a way to live that combines hard work, creativity,
respect for the land, and a focus on family and friends. We believe the small family farm
still has a place in our society.
Everything we do, everything we make, is in pursuit of this goal.
History of Business
Value-added agriculture is a rapidly expanding industry that provides new options for small,
family-based farms. Farmstead cheesemaking is one opportunity that can open new doors for the
small farm, allowing innovative individuals to take advantage of the growing demand for specialty
cheeses and of the consumer’s desire for a connection to their food and the grower. Sheep
cheese meets the needs of this specialty niche, providing many other capital generating options
for the business owner, including agri-tourism and related products.
While sheep cheese has been made for centuries in other countries, the industry is relatively
new to the United States, which increases the products’ unique appeal. With only a handful of
sheep dairy operations in the country, the competition is limited and the marketplace is open to
high-quality, handcrafted cheeses.
Shepherd’s Way Farms recognized this opportunity and established itself as one of the only
sheep dairies in Minnesota in November 1994. The Farm established its dairy flock with 30
Rambouillet yearlings and one 28% Friesian dairy ram lamb. Currently, Shepherd’s Way Farms’
flock is made up of roughly 500 high percentage Friesian ewes.
In August 1998, Shepherd’s Way Farms began processing and marketing its own farmstead
cheese, Friesago. From the beginning, Friesago received enthusiastic endorsement from local
Minnesota and Wisconsin co-ops and other natural food stores and Twin Cities restaurants. A
second cheese, Queso Fresco d’Oveja, was test-marketed in 1999 and became available to select
retailers in 2000. Demand for both products has continuously exceeded supply.
Shepherd’s Way Farms also provides lamb to local restaurants, markets, and individuals and
offers exclusive dairy rams as breeding stock.
Market Analysis and Strategy
In developing the Friesago, the goal was to produce a cheese that offered quality,
affordability and versatility as a table and cooking cheese. This was achieved, allowing
Shepherd’s Way Farms to target a range of cheese consumers that includes the cheese connoisseur,
the natural foods consumer, the consumer interested in unique but affordable cheeses, and
chefs who are committed to supporting locally produced farmstead cheeses.