Can you count on goats milk?

Agricultural niche markets are not easily found. Innovation is not asked for due to tradition established over centuries.
But sometimes new markets open due to unpredicted consumer demands. At the moment the best example is the biggest goat farm in Europe.
Dairy company Petri from Heidbrink is planning a mega project – the biggest goat farm in Europe will soon open. No less than 8000 goats are on hand to produce the milk needed to meet the relatively new demand in goat’s milk in Germany.

Goats milk instead of cows milk?

Until now goats milk only sold well in southern countries like Greece, Italy or France. Limited demand in Germany was covered by local producers. Small businesses with up to 100 goats shared the market and sold their products themselves locally.

Now German consumers have discovered goats milk as an alternative to good old cows milk. The market is thriving. Many people with allergies and intolerance to cows milk use goat’s milk more and more as a substitute.

But a big percentage of new customers is made up of younger health-conscious consumers. Goats milk is in!

Goats milk produces a high income

For producers, the additional benefit is the price. Cows milk producers have to fight for every cent. And even then they don’t get much more than 26 cent per litre. No contest with the goats milk production. There you can easily make 42 to 50 cent per litre.

Also an added bonus http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streckengeschäft is that goats are very profitable. It already pays off to produce goat meat in Germany and to sell it in Greece. In France goats milk has reached steady high prices for a long time.

With twice the money available, you could think the change from cow to goat is a sure thing. But beware, you must think carefully and weigh up all the risks before you exchange all your cows and start up a goat farm.

_Investment risk _

If you, like the dairy company Petri, want to set up a big and stomach-friendly goat farm, you will encounter resistance. People living near the farm complain about the smell of the animals and the noise of dairy lorries. More than one nature reserve group is protesting against the Petris project. So far the goat has escaped industrial breeding.

And also the market might not be as secure as it seems at first glance. Goats milk is booming but it can just as quickly go out of fashion. Should the boom just be a fad the new goat farmer will be left out in the cold.

Lots of questions have to be asked about the high start-up investment. Because is it relatively uncommon to keep goats in large quantities the start-up costs are quite high.

Per goat and animal space you have to expect costs of around €430. Eight to nine goats are needed to reach the amount of milk produced by one cow. This will add up to €3,500. In contrast, you only need a total investment of about €3,000 for a cow.

Does it really add up?

What do you think? Would a change from cow to goat be feasible for you? What are your pros and cons when it comes to goats milk?

We are looking forward to receiving your feedback.