Family Owned Farmstead Dairy - Doe's and Diva's Dairy

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Janna Feldman, owner of Doe's and Diva's Dairy, Inc., located in Honey Creek, IA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Doe's and Diva's Dairy, Inc., is a tiny (3 person) family-owned sheep dairy producing products crafted from the flock. In the past, we have made cheese, soaps, lotions, balms, yarn, and felted products. As an added bonus, we have used the discarded wool as mulch in our garden, and the whey by-product of cheese helps boost the soil for the garden blueberry plants. Small batch cheese was our main product sold on the farm and at farmer's markets. We had multiple lines of cheese, from simple, fresh farmhouse cheese to delicious cheese curds. Rounds of cheese are called tommes, and we produced multiple styles of tommes. One cheese was inspired by a Templeton Rye Whiskey barrel we aged rounds of cheese in. The cheese picked up the charcoal in the barrel plus tannin from the oak staves. We washed the rind in the Templeton Rye Whiskey. That cheese was named Bootleg, leading us to name most of our cheese after prohibition terms. Speakeasy was one of the favorites - a blooming rind soft cheese that melted in your mouth. Whisper Sister, a term for "ladies of the evening," was a farmhouse tomme washed in honey and edible flowers pressed in the rind. Most of our cheese won awards, including Feta at the academy awards of the cheese world, the American Cheese Society.

Tell us about yourself

Starting the business evolved from our daughter. After adopting her from Guatemala and bringing her home, we discovered she had lactose intolerance. We purchased two goats and started milking. This helped her tremendously, but soon two goats became multiple goats, and we had more milk than necessary. Soaps came first using the extra milk. Soon we were overwhelmed with soap. Cheese experiments in the kitchen began, and we were giving away cheese as well. After several years of milking, a neighbor approached to ask if there would be any interest in starting a dairy with her. Cashing in a retirement account and getting a large loan started the first goat dairy on the neighbor's farm.

Three years later, she ended the partnership without warning leaving us with 30 goats and nowhere to process the milk. That's when we started the family dairy. With the desire to be more than just another goat dairy, sheep were introduced. That's when we discovered sheep milk is so incredibly better. Better tasting milk, better yields in cheese production, sweeter dispositions (goats are stubborn and sometimes naughty), and the added value of the wool. Never gaining awards in the past, promptly, our cheese was winning awards every year.

Learning new techniques and recipes was unexpectedly fun and exciting. Naming the new cheese was a barnstorming of ideas from the entire family. Finding new ways to use the bounty the flock provided was entertainment. A whole new passion was born. Yarn has been a joy to learn about. Because the farm has always used all-natural practices, finding methods to use the wool was a joy. Beautiful skeins of soft wool are spun then dyed with plants - most are gathered on the farm. Elderberry, bayberry, alfalfa, and nettles are used for incredible colors.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Forced to start a new business without any resources in reserve, previous debt, and happening during the bank crisis was a challenge. Due to the climate of the bank meltdown, we couldn't obtain a loan to build the facility. Turned down by 15 different banks, we kept on exploring every scrap of information regarding the possibility of grants or loans. Using the local Small Business Association, online resources, word of mouth, and friends and family, we connected with a local bank that believed we would be successful. We joined groups focused on helping each other with knowledge of farming, best practices, resources, and friendship, then utilized a mentor. Getting the actual manufacturing permit and being registered as a certified dairy was only the beginning of our story. But it was the biggest accomplishment after learning to start over.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The constant pressure of having only so many hours in the day to get it all done. In the dairy business, milking doesn't stop morning or night if one family member is unable to. But it's also making sure the entire flock is healthy. The balance of feed, extra minerals, foot care, udder care, extra requirements of pregnancy all adds up. Then after milking is complete, the cleaning standards are stringent to ensure the requirements of USDA. Followed by the hours spent in the cheese production room. This included crafting the cheese, packaging, or attending to previous batches of cheese aging in the cheese cave. Before any time is taken for a lunch break, it's milking time again. Absolutely no time left to the market to stores or restaurants. Slow-growing sales are limited to marketing by word of mouth, previous customers, or onsite at the farm. Then don't forget the paperwork requirement of USDA. Because milk is termed a "hazardous product," multiple permits are necessary, tests run daily, and records kept. Time, temperatures, dates, production runs, tracking - all take huge chunks of time.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

My first tip to budding dairy entrepreneurs is - don't take a partner to begin a business. Believe in yourself and your dream. The second tip is - to try hard to begin your business by obtaining little or no debt. And the third tip is - don't listen to anyone else if dairy and cheesemaking is your passion. At the very least, you can make awesome cheese for yourself!

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Our business is in the process of closing. Several factors contribute to the end of the dairy, including the retirement age of two members of the family. Flooding in the area in 2019 had a huge impact on the dairy. No damage was done to the farm, but being surrounded by water cut off travel to any markets. At the same time, customers were also unable to travel to the farm to purchase products. No income severely impacted the farm. Struggling with the skyrocketing cost of feed, we continued with the hope of a better year. But 2020 brought COVID. No farmers markets, no travel, people locked in homes and afraid to shop. That brought the farm to a standstill. In 2021 we downsized then formally retired. No permits were issued, and production ceased for cheese production. A handful of sheep were kept, and we still produce soaps, lotions, balms, and yarn for the business. Now with the limited size of our flock, we have time to slow down and enjoy what we have been blessed with.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.doesanddivas.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Does-and-Divas-Dairy-263527410427971/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doesanddivas/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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