In 2022, we were honored to receive an MDARD Underserved, Value Added, and Regional Food Systems Grant to help convert an existing farm structure into a licensed Michigan farmstead creamery and farm store. After many hours (weeks, months, years) of planning and construction, we opened the creamery’s doors in August of 2024—just in time for National Goat Cheese Month! We are proud to be one of the few farmstead goat dairies in the state, and we are excited to see how the creamery continues to grow.
Our Farmstead Cheese
At Verdant Hollow, we know the best milk makes divine cheese, which is why we lovingly raise our herd of La Mancha, Alpine, and Nubian dairy goats on Verdant Hollow’s pastures and woodlands. From April to December, our herd rotationally grazes on perennial grasses, forbes, and legumes, and the unique combination of flavors from the land shines through in the goats’ milk. Once a week, we craft each of our small-batch cheeses by hand in our farmstead creamery, transforming gallons of milk from our gals into artisan curds to share. Each batch is just a little bit different based on the goats’ forage, the weather, and the time of year, but no matter the season, our cheese is always made with care and intention as a celebration of southwest Michigan’s terroir and the art of farmstead cheesemaking.
Currently, you can find our cheese for sale in our on-farm store, at Granor Farm, and at P & E’s Bottle Shop, or on the menu at Houndstooth and Out There. While we make our original Farmstead Chèvre all season long, our other offerings rotate seasonally, so keep an eye out for what’s on offer! You can read more about each of our farmstead cheeses below. If you’re interested in carrying our cheese, please reach out to molly@verdanthollowfarms.com with wholesale inquiries.
Farmstead Chèvre
Our Farmstead Chèvre is a classic: made fresh each week, this cheese is unlike anything you’ll find in the grocery store. Our fresh chèvre is rich and creamy with a slight acidity, and the uses for it are endless. Eat it straight from the container, spread it on a bagel or crackers, sprinkle it on salads, or try swapping it out for cream cheese in any recipe.
On the label of our Farmstead Chèvre, you’ll find our herd queen and creamery mascot Peanut, a talkative Nubian-Alpine mix who bosses us around but gives the most affectionate snuggles when she’s not busy hopping fences or causing mayhem. Our Farmstead Chèvre carries her quintessential caprine spirit: friendly and approachable, but keeps you on your toes.
Seasonal Chèvre
Each season, we like to add a twist to our original Farmstead Chèvre, just for fun. In spring, you might find a nettle and ramp chèvre on our shelves freshly foraged from our woods, while in the summer, we’ll be playing around with seasonal produce from our organic-certified garden. Our seasonal chèvres are constantly rotating, so be sure to check in about what’s currently on offer!
Bulgarian-style Feta
Our Bulgarian-style Feta isn’t your average feta. Creamy, soft, and salty, this goats’ milk feta belongs on everything from roasted potatoes to Greek salads (or, even better, just sliced on a piece of toast and drizzled with good olive oil and pepper). We store our Bulgarian-style feta in a whey brine to keep it fresh, so you can enjoy every last bite.
On the label of our Bulgarian-style feta, you’ll find our sweet La Mancha love Nazo, whose name comes from the Persian word for caress or affection (and maybe even mystery or enigma). Quiet and ever-observant, Nazo’s affection can be easily won with the perfect head scratch. Her curiosity and calm were the inspiration for this cheese: a comfort food to reach for at a moment’s notice.
Moonlet
Our interpretation of the ash-ripened French Valençay cheese, Moonlet is the first bloomy rind cheese to join our lineup. After draining in a truncated pyramid mold for 24 hours, we coat the outside of this cheese in vegetable ash, changing the acidity of the rind to allow for the white, wrinkly geotrichum mold to grow and change this cheese from the outside in. Best served at room temperature, this cheese is a standout addition to any cheeseboard: the contrast of the charcoal-black ash rind and the change in texture from the gooey outer edge to the dense and creamy center is sure to impress any guest. Moonlet is buttery, earthy, and minerally, pairing well with stonefruit jams, fruity French wines, or a drizzle of local honey.
On the label of Moonlet, you’ll find one of our herd’s beloved does Io, who we had to say goodbye to in May 2025 after a sudden and unexpected nerve injury. Io was named for Jupiter’s second-smallest moon, which is dotted with four hundred active volcanoes and covered in plains. The lava from these volcanoes forms the moon’s unique crust, which ebbs and flows and constantly changes with the eruptions. Moonlet’s volcanic shape and wrinkled rind nod toward this Gallilean moon, keeping our sweet Io close to our hearts in the creamery.
