Producer

Amaltheia Organic Dairy is a sustainable, organic company that has been handcrafting organic goat cheeses for over 20 years. We utilize all of our by-products and grow organic vegetables using composted manure from the goats. We are a family run farm that makes great products while considering our impact on the land and have made it our priority to keep our property and Montana the beautiful place that it is! Mel & Sue Brown set about their Grade A Amaltheia Dairy operation on Thanksgiving Day 2000. They started milking with 90 goats. Initially they sold their milk to a distributor making gourmet cheese for California customers but in the spring of 2002 the Browns decided to develop and operate their own cheese facility. Through careful development and stringent standards for purity and flavor, they arrived at an exceptional product that they are now marketing.

In an effort to become a completely sustainable farm, they began turning the goat’s manure into compost and using the whey from the cheese to feed their pigs. Coming full circle, they use the compost to grow delicious vegetables which are sold in farmer’s markets year round. Amaltheia strives to be a zero emissions operation and for their efforts they have been awarded with EcoStar Awards for sustainability in both 2008 and 2009.

The name Amaltheia comes from Greek mythology, and refers to the goat that nursed Zeus. With Amaltheias’ care Zeus became the king of the gods, and thus awarded Amaltheia by putting her image in the sky as the constellation Capricorn. He also took her horn and created the Cornucopia, which would bring abundance to all. Amaltheia reminds us of how bountiful our Earth is.

Here at Amaltheia we milk about 200 goats, producing 125 gallons of goat milk each day. Making one pound of goat cheese takes 5 pounds of goat milk. It is carefully pasteurized and cultured, and the cheese making process requires a great deal of hands-on attention. The Chevre takes about three days to make, and the other cheeses vary, but all are made in small batches and shipped or delivered promptly. Over the years, our cheeses have won numerous American Cheese Society awards.