Alma de Luna Dairy

About Alma de Luna Dairy

In 1999, Ellen Ochoa bought two goats for each her two daughters for their 4-H project. Each year the herd of goats grew, until they were milking 20 goats and found themselves running a dairy. In 2005, Jeff Poulos, a high school science teacher, joined the family. Jeff has since retired from teaching and together they now milk 250 goats and sell all of their milk to their neighbors at Redwood Hill Creamery, who make award-winning cheese, yogurt and kefir. Ellen and Jeff plan to create their own line of Alma de Luna Animal Welfare Approved goat cheeses. Ellen and Jeff say they chose to become Animal Welfare Approved to “show people that animals can be well taken care of and be profitable.” Alma de Luna Dairy’s Alpine, Nubian and La Mancha goats stay on the farm up to ten years producing milk. AWA certification, Ellen says, “shows the maintenance and care we give the animals.” The economics of farming continues to be difficult—staying in business with the high cost of feed is Alma de Luna’s greatest challenge. But Ellen doesn’t regret getting those first four goats. “It’s a good life, and we get to live in this beautiful place,” she says. For more information, visit http://www.almadeluna.com/ or contact Ellen at [email protected].