How Nettle Meadow Farm Cares for Animals While Making Award-Winning Cheese

2022 was a good year for Nettle Meadow Farm and Artisan Cheese in Warrensburg, New York.

Co-owners Lorraine Lambiase and Sheila Flanagan won over 18 awards for their cheeses in 2022 including NY Creamery of the Year from the NY International Cheese Competition and have already won two awards in the first month of 2023. But that’s not why they are in the cheese business. 

As is the case with many farmstead cheese operations their story started with just a few Nigerian dwarf goats they adopted in 2003 and raised in their yard in Oakland, California. Fast forward to today, and they work with milk from 600-700 goats, about 100 sheep, and 40-50 Jersey cows. What that sets them even further apart from other farmstead operations is that an additional 150-160 sanctuary animals live on their property.

From the Law to Lambs

Lambiase and Flanagan had been working in the legal field in Oakland, California and were making delicious cheese from their goats on the side. They soon realized that the legal profession was not fulfilling for them and decided to take the leap into the world of cheesemaking. “We wanted to do something where we thought we'd be able to have more time with our dogs,” explained Flanagan. 

But of course, she noted, “We were really a little bit silly because this profession of cheesemaking is almost 24/7.” Animal care and maintenance of the farm and cheesemaking equipment are not something you can set aside for the weekend. But while it’s a lot of work, Flanagan calls their profession more “life-affirming.”

The hard work began when they purchased the farm in 2005. They had to retire the majority of the goats immediately, which left only 10 production goats. They spent the year building up the herd by purchasing goats from farmers through New York state and fixing up the farm. From goats, they added Jersey cows and later sheep to have a greater variety of animal milk. 

Flanagan was drawn to the particular farm plot because of the prevalence of nettles on the property. “Nettle is something that is very prevalent in pastures in Cork County in Ireland, where I spent a good part of my childhood and so there's something very homey about all that nettle in the pastureland here.” Goats love eating nettle, despite their stinging quality.

Becoming an Animal Sanctuary

While most people know Nettle Meadow for their cheese, they may not know that the farm also is an animal sanctuary, known as Kemp Animal Sanctuary, taking in animals in need.

“We often say that the sanctuary was developed on day one,” Flanagan said, “When we arrived at the farm, we realized the medical conditions that some of the goats there had.” So they turned one of the barns into a retirement home for the goats. And that was only the beginning. For instance, the sanctuary takes in male baby goats, which often don’t have any place to go, and so they built a “bachelor pad” for them. 

Flanagan said, “a lot of the local sheriffs have us on speed dial” for when animals need rescuing. They’ve found animals tied up to their mailbox as well. Not only do they bring in retired animals or malnourished/neglected animals, they also bring in differently abled animals like blind sheep and physically disabled goats. The sanctuary houses retired production animals from Nettle Meadow as well.

They’ve grown so big that they work with small partner farms who manage the milk producing goats, sheep, and cows.

The sanctuary is funded through their cheese revenues as well as donations. “It’s so many critters now and they all need help,” Flanagan explained, “It's a big task, because it's a lot of mouths to feed, and there's well over 150 to 160 creatures now that rely on us 100%.” And that’s not including the production animals who make the milk for the cheese. 

But it’s a critical part of their work. “We know we make fantastic cheese, and we want to share it with people,” Flanagan said adding, “We know we do really good work for these animals, and we want to share their spirit with people too.” In addition to supporting the farm and sanctuary, Nettle Meadow supports 14-16 family farms through their work.

Putting the Art in Artisanal Cheeses

They also want to share the magic of artisanal cheese. Sadly, the number of cheesemakers who make cheese by hand is decreasing, thanks to COVID, Flanagan noted, but Nettle Meadow is committed to making “beautiful cheeses made by hand.” Through their extensive menu of cheeses, the number of times their cheeses are handled by hand varies from eight times for their fresh chevre cheeses to upwards of forty or fifty for their washed rind cheeses. 

Nettle Meadow is best known for their Kunik cheese, which has received the largest number of awards including double gold in 2022 at the NY International Cheese Competition. Flanagan described it as a “buttery brie with a goat kick at the end.” It needs to be aged 4-5 weeks to get that complexity, which Flanagan also pointed out that it shows the cheese as its own living being. Sitting wrapped on the shelf, it has another life as the microbes do their work to make the cheese.

There’s also an Amber Kunik, a washed rind Kunik that’s washed with Adirondack Beer and Adirondack Whiskey. It’s a lot funkier tasting than the Kunik and shows the value of affinage, the aging of cheese. Flanagan recommended putting both the Kunik and Amber Kunik on the table to warm up for a few hours then tasting them side by side, to see just how different they are, despite the base cheese being the same.

Another noteworthy cheese is Briar Summit, a bloomy rind three milk cheese infused with a raspberry leaf tea. The goats love eating raspberry leaves, which is great for immunity. “I wanted to put a little piece of the goats’ world and their food system into the cheese,” Flanagan explained. The cheese tends to be less creamy than the Kunik but is still a bit velvety.

They also offer fresh cheeses that come in different flavors from Fig & Honey Fromage Frais, Mixed Herb Chevre, to Pumpkin Spice Chevre.

Looking Towards the Future

While 2022 was a great year for awards, they have their work cut out for them as their operation grows. They’ve gone from 25 employees in 2020 to 43 in 2023. Despite their growth, Nettle Meadow is still a relatively small “mom and mom” operation running up against much bigger national and international cheese companies with more resources and ability to face rising costs and other challenges. 

Their cheese costs a bit more than their competitors but they rely on their customers appreciating that their handmade cheese comes from well-cared for animals. In fact, all their animals are cared for beyond their “productive” years, and it isn’t easy. Says Flannagan, “We are out there in the 20 below temperatures trying to make sure that our critters have the best life and everything that they need.” But in the end, putting the animals first, is more a way of life, than a business strategy.