By Katie Spring, Communications Manager
Cosmic Goat Farm and Creamery is ready to launch their cheese beyond state lines.
The certified organic farm and licensed creamery in Litchfield, Maine, has been making cheese since 2015. Owners Aaron Grim and Briis Wile make cheese with milk from their goats, along with cows milk they buy in from The Milkhouse, a nearby organic cow dairy. The creamery started small, built a solid foundation of products, and established their customer base with in-state cheese sales to farm stands, co-ops, natural food stores, and restaurants. As their cheese sales grew, their production capacity needed to grow as well.
In 2022, Cosmic Goat Farm built a new creamery seven times larger than their original facility. They doubled their milking herd, pasture, and sales. In order meet interstate sales requirements and expand their market beyond Maine, they also needed to upgrade their processing equipment. To do this, Grim and Wile turned to a NE-DBIC grant program.
At the end of 2023, Cosmic Goat received $40,000 through the Dairy Food Safety & Certification Grant.
With grant funding, they purchased and installed a 52-gallon vat-pasteurizer. This equipment pasteurizes as well as mechanically cuts and stirs curd, which streamlines labor in the cheesemaking process. Since completing their grant project, Grim and Wile have been able to scale their cheesemaking and improve quality and consistency, all while decreasing labor time.
“The cheese vat-pasteurizer is the beating heart of the creamery, and without it we would not be able to achieve the quality, consistency, and quantity required for a sustainable cheesemaking business,” Grim reported. “We now can make much more cheese, more efficiently and with less wear and tear on our bodies. Last but definitely not least, we can now sell pasteurized dairy products out of state, which greatly opens up market possibilities.”
So far, the farm and creamery has increased sales to two distributors and is now selling cheese into New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
“We’ve been able to ramp up our production of aged cheeses, particularly a Tomme-style cow’s milk cheese for a high-volume account,” Grim said. “This has become a significant new income stream that is a great complement to our seasonal goat products.” As a new grazing season gets underway, they’re looking forward to continuing their product growth.
Cosmic Goat Farm and Creamery is in good company – many dairy farmers and processors across the region have leveraged funding through the Dairy Food Safety & Certification Grant to meet the standards of new markets by preparing for audits and certifications, adding specialized food safety equipment, or updating food safety or biosecurity plans.
The current round of the Dairy Food Safety & Certification Grant is open February 27 – April 24, 2025.
Open to dairy farmers, processors, brands, and producer associations, this grant can help dairy businesses improve biosecurity and food safety measures. Learn how to apply.
