By Meghan Poff
Turning off New Cut Road, the gravel driveway of Capriole Farm is swallowed into a deep thicket of trees. The day is overcast and humid but thin streaks of light weakly dapple the ground as the heavy weight of the forest looms overhead.
Suddenly, the driveway twists into a colorful open field. Now it is rippling green hills as far as the eye could see, a stately log cabin engulfed by a garden, the petals of the flowers stained in every hue of the rainbow.
It is almost 90 degrees outside, but Judy Schad smiles contently as she hacks away at the weeds alongside the stately log house; though still elegant and poised in the pearls which she wear everyday.
Judy and her family first came upon this land in the late 1970’s after it was referred to them by a client of her husband Larry, a southern Indiana lawyer. Judy recalls her first visit to the farm.
“When we first reviewed the property, it had been abandoned for several years. The farmhouse had burned down some time ago and all that was left was the foundation. Everything was overgrown and the landscape needed lots of work. But I was in love. The moment we saw the place, Larry just looked over at me and said, ‘I feel like I’m home,’” Judy said.
The rest is history. In 1977 Judy and her three young children, Matt, Kate, and Sam, started showing their first goat as a 4-H project.
“Hills ‘O Crimson Blue Banda. Quite a mouthful for a goat name, I know. And to think when we first came here I wanted a cow,” said Judy.
But her passion for goat cheese didn’t come along until 1982.
“The early 80’s were an interesting time culinary-wise in America. American cooking began to change, restaurants started combining French methods and techniques with traditional American meals. That was when I had my first taste of goat cheese, and it was, well, spectacular. It was very French and very up-and-coming, and I wanted to be a part of that,” she said.
Three years later in 1985, Judy went to Arkansas, bought some equipment and a herd of 70 goats. She was commercially licensed in 1988, started making cheese at Huber’s, and then began to wait.
“I had to see if the market was right for goat cheese. I didn’t want to put myself out there with something people weren’t interested in. But they were. So I started building my market. Goat cheese was in, it was big, so I had a product with some validity,” said Judy.
Though while Judy was steadily creating her empire, her daughter Kate had other plans.
“I grew up on the farm, and I hated it. I moved away and went to cooking school. I bought a restaurant when my son Sam was born, but had to sell it when he was three because I couldn’t raise him and make it work,” she said.
From her Louisville home, she ran her catering business, Katering, until arm surgeries left her unable to work at the level she was accustomed to.
“After that, I sort of fell into my role as the bookkeeper at Capriole’s cheese plant. And I found not only did I like it, but I was good at it. Living on the farm is the best of all worlds, as I’ve gotten older, it is nice to be closer to family,” said Kate
So what’s in the future for Kate and Judy?
“ I like catering but I don’t see myself doing it again anytime soon. Just lots of cheese. When I’m not thinking about cheese I wonder why I’m not thinking about cheese,” said Kate.
As for Judy,
“I’ve been doing this for 25 years and I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing until everyone gets sick of it.”
