from boardroom to baRnyard
Joy and Tim Bueschen
If you started a new chapter in your life, how would it read? Ours reads: do work that stirs your soul, focus on fresh local ingredients, and strengthen community.
Turn a page with us and taste our intentions with every bite.
After 20 years of corporate “success” running from plane to plane eating soggy lettuce filled sandwiches from airport lounges, we could not help but question if the reward was worth the effort. As we ascended rung after rung on the corporate ladder we began to realize the limited view never actually changed. At some point we lost interest in what we were supposed to be chasing.
It was time to Turn the Page.
This chapter of our lives is about cultivating Joy by courageously following our passions. Growing our small artisanal goat dairy, making cheeses and other goat milk specialties has provided a new breathtaking vista that can be enjoyed with our feet firmly planted on the ground.
Growth and creativity are not limited by someone else’s constraints, but a natural part of life on the farm. In addition, we get to share our dream with others through our products and farm tours.
our farm
After dreaming about having goats for years, our daily morning routine which starts with milking and caring for our goats cultivates joy. Our herd is small which allows us time to ensure our goats are happy and healthy, and is reflected in the taste of our milk.
Our passion for cheese was fueled during the seven years we spent living in Europe for our corporate careers. We loved to travel and visit new countries and a day of sightseeing often ended with us nibbling on a plate of local specialty cheese.
Not only did we create many happy memories that infused all our senses, but we gained clarity on the cheeses we wanted to produce on our own goat farm. We could never have imagined that our move to Europe would lead to us living this dream life owning our own goat dairy in the forests of central Maine.
“Have you ever even milked a goat?”
A few years prior to making the leap we were sampling single malt scotches at a hotel bar while on vacation. Right in the middle of my waxing poetic about my outrageous dream of owning a goat farm, my husband in his annoyingly logical way asked:
“Have you ever even milked a goat?” I did have to admit that no, I don’t think I had actually ever been in proximity of a real goat.
Even I could see this presented a bit of a gap in my path of making this dream a reality. I immediately started to search for goat milking tours (yes, it is a thing). We were headed to Ireland in the morning where surely I could find a goat to milk somewhere in the country before the end of this vacation. Did I mention that I am often driven to the point of excluding all practicality? Before the last dram of scotch was warming my belly I had booked us on a goat walking tour of the Barren National Park in two days time.
ireland inspiration
Joy loving’ on Cinnamon and Nutmeg
Our visit to a small Irish homestead run by a father and daughter exceeded our expectations. They had a plot of land, herd of goats and associated artisan cheese business. Their self-sufficiency around food supply was inspiring to everyone on the tour. It goes without saying that when the group was asked who wanted to milk a goat I was the first in line and it only took a few tries for me to successfully get milk into the pail.
I gave my husband ‘ the look’ he is so familiar with when I achieve a goal “Done! – I have checked that box, now let’s go buy a goat farm. ” We then spent the remainder of our vacation dreaming of starting our own goat dairy and creating a vision for how we could make this happen.
It was not easy to give up my corporate job and the trappings that come with a successful career, title, and associated paycheck. It was the perfect opportunity to test my theory. Trust your dream, take action and the universe will align to support you. Things progressed quickly and unexpectedly and we found ourselves putting an offer on a farm in central Maine site unseen.
As soon as our feet hit the ground we built a chicken tractor and ordered day old meat chicks and layers. We had two pigs in the forest clearing land and making bacon. Next came bees and honey which were a gift from a neighboring farmer. And by the end of the summer, I had 7 rare Guernsey dairy goats in the barn. Cheeses, soaps, and fudge were now being produced on our own land from our own animals. The reality of our first year of this new chapter of our lives has exceeded all expectations.
