In 1976, in search of a more bucolic life, Judy & Larry Schad purchased an 80-acre farm in Greenville, Indiana, and Judy thought it might be fun to have a goat or two.

Judy and Larry raise much of their own hay and browse the goats in rotating woodland paddocks. The result is happy goats who give truly magnificent milk, and Capriole Farm cheeses quickly gained respect and awards for exceptional quality. With a great foundation, a trip to France was a turning point for Capriole Farm's cheese. Judging goat cheese in France, Judy noticed the French cheeses all tasted better than her own cheeses, but she didn't know why.

After the competition, Judy visited several producers and discovered that French cheesemakers did not use Pennicillium to ripen their bloomy rind cheeses; they used a mold unfamiliar to American cheesemakers: Geotrichum candidum.

Judy returned to Indiana and contacted Mother Noella Marcellino, a Benedictine nun who studied the use of Geotrichum in French cheeses. At Judy's request, Mother Noella traveled to Capriole Farm where she taught Judy how to gather Geotrichum from her environment and use it to ripen her cheeses, forever changing Capriole cheeses.

The cheeses Judy produces are: Chantal Aperitif, Chevre, Crocodile Tears, Juliana, Mont St. Francis, Old Kentucky Tomme, Piper Pyramides, and Sofia.

To this day, all Capriole Farms bloomy rind cheeses are ripened with Geotrichum and all the aged cheeses are made with raw milk. You will taste the difference!