Blue Goat Dairy
Variety of handmade goat cheeses and spreads.
Vendor Story
Rebecca Borland
As spring 2025 approached, some 65 of Rebecca and John Borland’s herd of 140 goats were milking—some for their newborn kids, but most of them for Blue Goat’s human customers.
As high market season swings into gear, Blue Goat Dairy will stock, staff and set up stalls at six weekday markets and up to 10 Saturday farmers markets across the North Carolina piedmont and foothills.
“This was our retirement plan,” Rebecca deadpans of the cheese dairy’s growth.
The other six days stay busy, too. From goat to pasteurization to cheese to freezer to market is a short, intense haul, and product sells out regularly.
Blue Goat’s success is a reflection of goat life on the farm.
“We care for our Saanen and Alpine goats the same way we care for our own health,” says Rebecca. “We use natural remedies such as homeopathy and herbs to keep them healthy. The goats are fed with all-natural local hay that is not treated with sprays or other harmful chemicals.”
They even trim the goats’s hooves, since there are no rocky Swiss mountain crags in these parts to keep them worn down. Stalls get sprayed every six months with oil essences that weaken or eliminate parasites and bacteria. A veterinarian is on call for medical issues, and makes regular full-herd inspections.
In the kitchen, Rebecca gets creative.
“I take spices that I am interested in and look up different recipes from all around the world. Then I experiment to find out what would translate well into cheese. Next, I take the combination of spices and mix it with something more solid, such as dried fruit or an olive. It can take up to a year to come up with a new flavor,” she says.
Blue Goat offers combo packs of four different flavors with crackers, spoons, and a description sheet, suitable for party planning and gift-giving. They also sell two jar medleys called Tango and Samba. Those come with goat cheese, olive oil and peppers, finished with capers and sundried tomatoes or olives and more peppers.
“The packs sell out fast,” says Rebecca, “so come early!”
