Farm fresh and local cheese is the specialty of Shellbark Hollow Farm artisan goat dairy in Honey Brook. Twenty varieties of goat milk cheese as well as a wide assortment of goat milk products are available on site at the farm store, as well as multiple locations in the area, including Kimberton Whole Foods and Rittenhouse, Bryn Mawr and Media Farm Markets. Their cheese is also a popular farm-to-table ingredient at top restaurants in Chester County and beyond. 

Pete Demchur and his wife Jeanne LeVasseur have operated the Shellbark Hollow Farm in its present location on Lippitt Road for the past 7 years. Previously, in the West Chester area, it was Pete who started making cheese over 25 years ago after he had been given a pair of goats as a Father’s Day present. The goats increased in numbers and Pete started making cheese.

“He learned how to make cheese from his taste. Ten years into it, he took a class to learn the science behind cheese making,” Jeanne said. 

Today, Shellbark Hollow Farm supports 130 purebred Nubian goats. “We use them because they are the highest in butterfat for making cheese. We don’t mix it with any other type of milk,” Jeanne said.  It is, however, in some cases mixed with honey, cranberries, or herbs to create distinctive cheeses.

All cheese is made on site in a variety of flavors and textures. Find traditional goat cheese in mild, medium and sharp flavors as well as goat’s milk kefir and hard-aged cheeses. The most popular item is the Chevre Sharp 2, but there is also feta and ricotta, as well as cheese spreads, raw goat milk, goat milk yogurt, goat milk soap products and farm fresh eggs in the store.  

“We enjoy bringing our food into the market. People are very grateful to have fresh food. We really enjoy getting to know our customers and meeting them person to person and selling local and fresh food,” Jeanne said. 

Goat milk and goat milk products are actively sought by individuals who are lactose intolerant because goat milk is more easily digested than cows’ milk because it is an A2A2 milk. Goats’ milk products are the most widely used animal products worldwide.

“Goat cheese is cheese that people that are lactose intolerant can eat. It’s a much friendlier cheese for people with problems. They really seek us out,” Jeanne said.

Milk production varies with the seasons. In the winter, they may produce milk for about 50 pounds of cheese per week. 

Jeanne enjoys working with the goats and knows them as individuals. “Our goats are pretty sweet. They want a lot of attention because they are bottle-fed from day one,” she said. “They’re like dogs. The worst they’re doing is trying to nudge you and eat on your jacket to get some attention from you. For the most part, they’re very sweet.”

Although Chester County keeps growing, its rich farming heritage survives with the help of high-quality artisan products like those you can find at Shellbark Hollow Farm.

“We want everybody to support their local farmers, and to know where their food comes from. That’s really important to us and other farmers,” Jeanne said. “You want to know how it’s raised that it’s raised humanely and sustainably.”

Watch for the Shellbark Hollow Farm label when shopping, visit the store at the farm or check out the full product range in the online store at www.ShellbarkHollow.com and follow the farm on Facebook and Instagram.