06/05/2026
Lizzie started out making goat milk soap from her extra goat's milk. With just one goat in milk, and three others with her in the pasture, it was a hobby, at best. When she asked David, the farmer's market manager, if she could sell soap at the market, there were too many retailers. He asked her to come back with cheese, and she replied, "Give me a few years." Two years later, Vangoat Dairy is offering fresh, natural, local dairy products, including fresh cow's milk cheeses, yogurt, and kefir (for now!) at the Amherst Farmers' Market weekly!
About the milk: Vangoat Dairy is honored to partner with Holguer Hill Farm, a small, registered Holstein and Guernsey dairy farm that is owned and operated by the 8th generation of the Taylor family in Ashfield, MA. They milk a small herd of Guernsey and Holstein cows that produce fresh, raw milk, sold at our farm stand, open all year round, seven days a week. In the fall, they harvest sweet corn and pumpkins. In the Spring, they produce maple syrup here on the farm. During the summer, other miscellaneous vegetables are available, as well as raspberries from their own bushes. Holguer shows their Guernsey cows and works closely with the 4H in the area to provide opportunities for youth to lease and have a project to exhibit each year. Fun fact: Holguer stands for Holstein and Guernsey!
Why "Vangoat"? It all started with a van, and the goats that we moved in it. A little while later, that "starry night" logo was born with our big rescue Carl front and center. At the end of 2025, the family and goats moved just around the corner to an 8-acre property in Leverett, MA, to start the process of becoming our own milk supplier. Goat milk and products coming in 2027!
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