Emma’s vision of raising a few goats and making delicious cheese has expanded over time, and her love for the animals still motivates her every day.
A Vision Made Reality
Emma McCaulley was a culinary student set on becoming a pastry chef when she took an internship at a goat dairy on Maui. She fell in love with the animals, and soon was dreaming of her own small herd of goats that would produce milk for her cheese crafting.
More than a decade later, Emma and her family live this dream and more with Sweet Land Farm, where they run a goat dairy operation on 86 acres of their land, along with 75 acres of leased land.
The family tends up to 500 goats at a time to produce thousands of gallons of milk each week, which is sold fresh or crafted into award-winning cheeses, caramels, lotions and soaps.
Emma’s vision of raising a few goats and making delicious cheese has expanded over time, and her love for the animals is what motivates her every day.
“They’re a lot like dogs, they’re really personable and loving,” she said. “They make you laugh, they make you smile, and then they make great milk and then great products.”
A Family Operation
Emma’s love of agriculture began when she was a child. Her parents grew up on a farm and had that background in agriculture.
“My wife and I were both in agriculture when we were younger,” Emma’s father and co-owner of the farm, Eric Bello said. “When both of our kids expressed interest in getting back into agriculture, and since it was very much a passion of ours, it was really that purpose to assist them in developing their passions.”
Emma values the hard work and dedication her family has put into their operation.
“Sweet Land Farm is very important. We started off as a family, it was my parents and my brother and myself,” she said.
Sustaining a Healthy Hawaii
Sweet Land Farm operates with the future in mind, practicing sustainable and efficient farming to help produce high quality food for the community.
“We decided to produce our own feed,” Eric explained. “We’re producing the feed, putting it into the goat, and then we put the litter back on the property as fertilizer.”
Today, Sweet Land Farm is part of grassroots agricultural movements in Hawaii to achieve food security on the island.
“I like the concept of locally produced food here in Hawaii,” Eric said. “Since we have the ability to do it and historically have done it, it’s really a bit of a renaissance to bring it back and restore the farming community.”
