After a decade working in the construction industry, Naomi and Frans Steenkamp now run Wellington's first fresh goat milk creamery.
The Steenkamp's 15-acre hillside property is likely "the only goat farm in a capital city in the whole world", Naomi tells Kathryn Ryan.
Photo: supplied
Naomi and Frans first got interested in goats when they discovered their new property in the suburb of Brooklyn was home to some feral ones.
After they caught an episode of Country Calendar about the artisanal goat farm Kaikoura Cheese, a plan began to take shape.
In October 2016, the couple made a five-year plan to transition out of construction work. They opened Brooklyn Creamery in late 2021.
Along the way, the couple learnt a lot about the pitfalls of trying to get a farm off the ground, says Hans.
"When you start out on a venture like this it always costs you ten times as much and takes you ten times as long," adds Naomi.
Yet the couple kept their dream of farming mountain goats alive.
"We could see that Wellington didn't have fresh local goat product and we thought 'let's give it a whirl'.
"When you break down these big lofty goals into smaller manageable tasks you can be surprised what you achieve. We even managed to add two more human babies in there, as well."
Photo: Brooklyn Creamery / Instagram
Around the world, goat milk is the milk most consumed by humans and the closest to human breast milk, Naomi says.
It is also a naturally A2 milk, which means it's easier to digest than traditional cow's milk.
"For someone who gets a sore tummy when they have cow's milk, this could be a good alternative. It's also lower in lactose than some of the other milks. And also you don't have to fortify it like you do with plant-based milks because it is naturally fortified."
Goat milk is so rich in minerals partly because - counter to the myth that they'll eat even "tin cans and gumboots" - goats are really picky eaters, she says.
"[Goats milk] has a very rich array of minerals - really strong B Vitamins, calcium, Vitamin A. It's a good all-rounder, and because it's so easy to digest, all of those nutrients are available and the uptake is great."
Brooklyn Creamery uses a 'rinse and return' system for their branded glass bottles and 10 percent of their profits go into a fund for local environmental action such as the Wellington kiwi restoration project Capital Kiwi.
