In 2016, Anna-Lisa Laca, a Nevada farmer, bought 300 dairy goats and started the transition from raising sheep to goats.

Today, she milks about 3,000 goats and sells the milk to two major goat dairy brands: Redwood Hill, a yogurt company, and Laura Chenel, a specialty goat cheese company in Sonoma, California.

“Specialty cheeses have just exploded since then (2016),” said Laca.

Market data show the specialty goat cheese category has grown substantially in recent years.

“Goat cheese adoption in the U.S. continues to grow,” said Durae Hardy, brand manager for Laura Chenel.

According to NielsenIQ, a market research firm, unit sales of goat cheese increased 21.3% between 2019 and 2022, although goat cheese is still a niche product, making up less than 1% of overall unit sales for the cheese category in 2022.

In recent months, some consumers have “traded down” by buying cheaper cheeses during the inflationary crisis. As a result, goat cheese sales rose only 0.5% year-over-year in 2022 compared to 15.4% growth in 2021.

Nevertheless, cheese experts are optimistic about continued market growth. Some consumers who find cow’s milk difficult to digest say they find it easier to consume goat dairy. Millennials — with their adventurous palates, health-conscious habits and ideas about sustainability — are also driving demand.

“I think there’s room for growth in the goat market,” said Laca, the farmer.

The company Laca sells milk to is named after its founder, Laura Chenel, who in the 1970s raised dairy goats and attempted to craft cheeses. Her early attempts were unsuccessful, so in 1979, she traveled to France to learn cheesemaking.

After apprenticing with French cheesemaking families, she returned to the U.S. and started selling cheeses.

One of her earliest customers was Alice Waters, a well-known chef and owner of Chez Panisse, a restaurant in Berkeley, California. Waters bought 50 pounds of goat cheese per week. The relationship catapulted Laura Chenel to prominence.

Through the decades, the brand grew. When Chenel retired in 2006, the French Triballat family, which has been making artisan goat cheese for four generations, bought the company.

Today, Laura Chenel cheeses are sold nationwide.

Although the highest concentration of sales is in natural food stores, the brand has been expanding into big chain stores including Costco.

“It’s been nice to see it expand more into everyday grocery stores,” said Hardy.

As Laura Chenel expands, the company is open to buying milk from more goat dairies. Hardy said the brand buys milk from eight farms in California, Oregon, Nevada and Idaho.

“We’re always open to being introduced to quality (farm) partners,” said Hardy.

Goat dairies that work with Laura Chenel must meet standards regarding feed quality, milk quality and humane handling.

Laura Chenel continues to innovate. In a recent collaboration with the Culinary Institute of America, the company developed new products, including a fresh mango habanero cheese.

Laca, the farmer, said she is excited about the new flavor releases and expects consumer demand to continue growing. “I would forecast continued growth in the market space,” she said.