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Living Outdoors: Explore The Goatery at Kiawah River’s Brand-New Creamery

Hay there! The Goatery at Kiawah River Farm has some un”baaa”lievable news. The farm’s creamery is officially open and ready to welcome visitors to their interactive experience where residents can sample true farm-to-table freshness.

As Charleston’s first agrihood, Kiawah River’s friendliest residents, our goats, are not just adorable farm animals, they also help maintain the health of our land and ecosystem and provide delicious dairy products. Now, with our brand-new-state-of-the-art creamery facility, our goats will be able to produce even more exceptional goat milk and cheese for our community. The facility is separated into four buildings with piping underneath to transfer the raw milk from the goat to a holding tank, which is cooled to 36-48 degrees. From there, the raw milk is either used as is or converted to the cheese processor to make chevre using vegetable rennet’s and bacteria sourced from the South of France. Inside the creamery, the goats line up ten at a time and get connected to pulsators, which are automated to perform wellness checks that determine the goat’s likes, dislikes and whether they are getting enough calories to produce milk.

The Goatery at Kiawah River currently has more than 90 goats encompassing a variety of breeds including Nubian, Alpine and Lamancha, and the creamery will begin operating with 30 of them to produce 100 gallons of raw milk every two to three days. Eventually herdsman Danny Sillvant and Missy Farkouh hope to operate the creamery with 60 goats, depending on market demand. Committed to humane farming practices, Sillvant and Farkouh provide their top-of-the line dairy products to Kiawah River residents and restaurants across the Lowcountry including Husk, Charleston Grill and Sorghum & Salt.

As of right now, creamery tours are by appointment only. However, the entire area surrounding the creamery will eventually be fully landscaped with seating for visitors to pop by and enjoy a glass of wine and fresh goat cheese.

You can book a private tour or goat yoga class through The Goatery’s website, or find their products in Kiawah River’s CSA program deliveries, local Charleston restaurants or nearby farmers markets.