Stepladder Creamery
Cambria, CA
Stepladder Ranch was founded in 1871 and has been family-owned and operated for three generations. In addition to our farmstead creamery, we raise old spot heritage pigs for pork and grow Haas avocados, a wide variety of citrus and rare subtropical fruits.
Our creamery is simply an old idea reimagined. About 100 years ago, our ranch was a part of the Harmony Valley Creamery Association, a network of immigrant Swiss and Italian dairy farmers that grazed cattle on the lush coastal valleys of San Luis Obispo County. This Association was born out of a drought that forced ranchers to rethink how to make a living off of their land; a concept quite similar to the current situation we find ourselves in today.
Our goats are some of the happiest on the Central Coast! As a Farmstead creamery, we raise our goats on the farm and make cheese from their milk – allowing us to manage every aspect of our cheese production. Our herd of 35 goats graze on 3 acres of open pastures and oak woodlands and are protected by a pair of dedicated Anatolian Shepherds, Lily and Gus. Our herd consists of all Lamanchas, the only breed of goat developed in the United States with their unique characteristic of tiny ears.
We begin breeding in the fall, and the kids (baby goats) arrive from mid-February to April. We have a lot of fun naming the newest additions to our family – each line of mothers has a theme. We’ve got proper, young ladies: (Tammy Jo, and Isabella) blooming beauties (Daisy, Poppy, Lavender), sweethearts (Tootsie and Blondie), and a bunch of “nut” cases (Hazelnut, Peanut, and Almond ), to name a few!
Our creamery is simply an old idea reimagined. About 100 years ago, our ranch was a part of the Harmony Valley Creamery Association, a network of immigrant Swiss and Italian dairy farmers that grazed cattle on the lush coastal valleys of San Luis Obispo County. This Association was born out of a drought that forced ranchers to rethink how to make a living off of their land; a concept quite similar to the current situation we find ourselves in today.
Our goats are some of the happiest on the Central Coast! As a Farmstead creamery, we raise our goats on the farm and make cheese from their milk – allowing us to manage every aspect of our cheese production. Our herd of 35 goats graze on 3 acres of open pastures and oak woodlands and are protected by a pair of dedicated Anatolian Shepherds, Lily and Gus. Our herd consists of all Lamanchas, the only breed of goat developed in the United States with their unique characteristic of tiny ears.
We begin breeding in the fall, and the kids (baby goats) arrive from mid-February to April. We have a lot of fun naming the newest additions to our family – each line of mothers has a theme. We’ve got proper, young ladies: (Tammy Jo, and Isabella) blooming beauties (Daisy, Poppy, Lavender), sweethearts (Tootsie and Blondie), and a bunch of “nut” cases (Hazelnut, Peanut, and Almond ), to name a few!
