Name: Hatch Knoll Farm
Address: Kim and Don Roos
Hatch Knoll Farm
29 Hatch Knoll Road
Jonesboro, Maine 04648
Phone: 207-434-2674
Website: www.hatchknoll.com
Email: kimroos@tds.net
Products and Services:
-fully licensed USDA Grade A milk,
yogurt, and cheese Dairy
-goat care and cheese making classes
-sale of goats
-specialty artisan cheeses
-goat milk soap
-buck stud service
-goat cheese
-fresh eggs
-vegetables
-MOFGA certified organic berries
-certified organic strawberry, raspberry,
and wild blueberry spread
-CSA program
Farmers Markets:
Thurs. - Jonesport - 10 a.m. - noon
Fri. - Acadia Market - Town Hill 10-2
Sat. - Ellsworth - 9:30-12:30
Lubec - 9:00-noon
Milbridge - 9:00-noon
Eastport - 9:00-noon
What Makes Hatch Knoll Farm Unique?
Hatch Knoll Farm is the location of Garden Side Dairy and the home of Kim and Don Roos and their five children. It serves as a great model of a small family farm that is making its way because of its willingness to branch out and try new ventures. Diversification has been its key to success.
There’s a lot of energy taking place at Hatch Knoll Farm. Can you picture what it must be like to milk thirty-five dairy goats and a cow every day; care for fifty-two goat kids; feed chickens and gather the eggs; attend six different farmers markets; fill orders; make goat cheese; can vegetables; harvest and process twenty acres of organic blueberries and also raise five children? Finding enough time to get to everything is one of the major challenges at Hatch Knoll Farm.
Customers familiar with the specialty artisan cheeses that Kim began making at Garden Side Dairy in 2003, are probably aware that she and her husband, Don, purchased Hatch Knoll Farm from their good friends, Deb and Peter Aldridge, in the fall of 2010. They were looking for a way to expand their farm operation and were delighted to be able to acquire an organic blueberry field operation. They moved their dairy from its former location on Looks Point Road to Hatch Knoll Farm in Jonesboro and they now live in the farmhouse there.
Garden Side Dairy is a fully licensed USDA Grade A milk, yogurt, and cheese dairy. They carry a line of specialty artisan cheese
that includes Flavored Chevre, Camembert, Goat Milk Cheddar, Garlic Lovers, and Italian Lovers.
The handcrafted soaps that the Roos make from their goats’ milk have been produced with unique molds in shapes of goats that are absolutely stunning. The soaps are offered in several scents including peppermint and lavender. Kim also makes herbal salves that are excellent for overworked hands. The salves can also be used as an udder balm and a treatment for dry skin.
Olivia, the Jersey cow, is a fairly new addition to Hatch Knoll Farm. She is earning her keep since she is responsible for a new line of dairy products which includes Olivia’s cream cheese, butter, cheddar, Masons Bay Brie, and Formage.
The Roos usually maintain a herd of around fifty goats. Since March of 2013, their herd has expanded dramatically as fifty-eight baby kid goats have come on the scene. Because the weather had been quite cool this past spring and the Roos family needs to bottle feed the kids three times a day, the baby goats resided on the sun porch of their home. Between the five Roos children and the fifty-eight kid goats, the Roos farmhouse most truly is a home with one of the “most ‘kids’ living in one house in Maine!”
The Roos children are expected to help out
with the farm chores. They lend a hand with the watering and feeding of the animals; collecting the eggs; milking the goats; and planting the garden. They raise twenty acres of organic blueberries. Seventeen-year-old Taylor Roos was in charge of the processing of the berries. Don and Kim offer apprentice and internship opportunities at their farm. In 2013, Rachel and Alex signed on to fill the apprenticeship positions.
The products that Hatch Knoll Farm produces
can be purchased at six different farmers’ markets including those held in Eastport, Ellsworth, Jonesport, Lubec, Milbridge, and Town Hill. Their products are found at the Red Sleigh in Perry and the French Cellar in Machias. Members of the Eastport and Machias Buying Clubs can place orders for the items that the Roos sell. Hatch Knoll Farm also offers a CSA program which offers a selection of eggs, cheese, vegetables, and berries. A special discount is offered at Christmas to sign up for the CSA.
In the spirit of sharing, Kim Roos conducts
“You Can Do It” classes for the community at their farm. The classes that are offered include Goat Care and Basics, Brie and Feta - Subtle Differences in Cheese Making, Soap and Salve Making, and Just Desserts. Kim also hopes to be able to eventually offer classes in Healthy Eating, Seasonal Meal Planning, and Crafts.
The “You Can Do It” classes begin with coffee and tea and muffins and cheese. After the topic for the class is covered, participants enjoy a small fare luncheon that features some of the goat milk cheeses. Participants leave with a copy of the directions, ingredients, and supply lists, and a farm tour. The class is limited to five participants and the fee for the course is $50.
Hatch Knoll Farm also offers the “Day With The Farmer” program where a visitor can get a taste of farm life. The day begins at 8 a.m.
For those who wish to experience the milking, then the day begins at 6 a.m. A guest spends the day with one of the family members either working with the goats, making the cheese, or working in the kitchen or in the field. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks are provided. The meals include food from the farm and the local area. The cost for the day is $150.
Another unique opportunity at Hatch Knoll Farm is the “Taste of Farming” experience. It is a three-day intensive farm experience similar to the “Day With The Farmer” program but it involves a stay of three days. The Roos explained that the program is ideal for individuals considering a farmstead business. The experience is limited to one individual or a couple and it is only offered four times a year - once in the spring and in the fall, and twice during the summer. The cost is $400
per person or $750 for a couple. On-site
camping is available or lodging can be acquired in a nearby motel or bed and breakfast.
The Roos are extremely creative. It seems as though they are continually offering new products and opportunities. Recently they began selling cajeta, which is a Mexican caramel sauce made with goat milk and sugar. Next year they will be offering classes for seniors. Their products are available on their website and on www.etsy.com
Branching out and diversifying has been a key to the success of Hatch Knoll Farm and Garden Side Dairy. In addition to all the dairy products that they offer from the goats’ milk and Olivia, the cow, the Roos also carry a line of organic raspberry, blueberry, and strawberry fruit spreads. There is an underlying force in the operation of Hatch Knoll Farm that contributes to its success and that is the willingness of all the Roos family members to pool their efforts to tackle all the tasks that need to keep the farm going and growing.