Belle Chèvre Creamery: Award Winning Artistry

In the picturesque township of Waipu, situated amongst rolling hills and coastal vistas, lies Belle Chèvre Creamery. The 40-acre farm, operated by Jennifer Rodrigue and her husband David, stands as a testament to the pairs’ pursuit of a dream. Jennifer, originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, shared the story of their journey, from high-tech industry professionals in America to goat cheese artisans in New Zealand.

Jennifer and David’s transition to farming wasn’t a direct path. Both were raised by parents who lived on farms, but their childhoods were shaped by the more industrialised backdrop of America. They pursued careers in computer science, which allowed them to accumulate the resources necessary for a lifestyle change. Seeking a more serene and fulfilling life, they chose New Zealand to raise their son, and after he grew up, they set their sights on a pre-retirement dream: raising goats and making cheese.

The idea of Belle Chèvre Creamery began from a desire to fill a gap in the New Zealand market for high-quality goat cheese. “Being immigrants from America, we were used to a bigger variety of goods in the grocery store. We missed goat cheese and decided that we really liked the nature of goats. So, about 15 years ago, we began looking for a piece of land to raise goats and make goat cheese. With encouragement from friends and family, we registered our business for sales and have been loving it ever since.”

The name Belle Chèvre, meaning “beautiful goat” in French, reflects both the Rodrigue’s admiration for their goats and the French origins of many popular goat cheese varieties. Jennifer explains, “The Saanen breed of goat, originally a French breed, has a strong association with goat cheese. We think all of our goats are beautiful, so the name Belle Chèvre Creamery felt perfect.”

Waipu’s community spirit was a significant factor in their decision to settle there. “We love the support the community gives us, especially for our paddock-to-plate business. Everyone comes out and supports it, from the markets to our shop,” Jennifer shared. The Rodrigue family also found joy in the coastal beauty of Waipu. “We’re five minutes from really nice beaches,” Jennifer beamed. “It’s just really free, we can run the dog on it anytime we want, ride horses and launch boats nearby. It’s a really good lifestyle.”

Belle Chèvre Creamery is home to two main breeds of goats: the Anglo-Nubian and the Saanen. The Nubians, with their distinctive long ears and Roman noses, are prized for their high-fat milk, ideal for cheesemaking, and resistance to the Northland heat. However, they have a shorter milking season. In contrast, the Saanens are the powerhouse of dairy goats, producing a higher volume of milk over a longer period. Using selective breeding and artificial insemination, David and Jennifer are developing a Saanen herd that also gives high fat milk. “We keep pedigree Nubian bucks and pedigree Saanen bucks and hopefully the right girl dances with the right boy, and we end up with pedigree offspring that we can sell. All our kids find homes or stay with us. We have a no-kill policy.”

One of Jennifer’s favourite aspects of goat farming is kidding season. “We love the new life of the baby goats. We get about two kids per goat on average. We nurture them, often taking them inside by the fire if needed. It’s a very rewarding part of the job,” she shared warmly.

The quality and consistency of Belle Chèvre’s products are a direct result of their hands-on, paddock-to-plate approach. Jennifer highlighted, “We control what our goats eat, ensuring they have a diet of non-GMO, New Zealand-grown food. We milk every day and make cheese every day. Our cheese is made from fresh milk, going from 37 degrees inside the goat to 63 degrees for processing. It’s then cooled and made into cheese the same day. This freshness is key to our quality.”

Running a goat farm is not without its challenges, Jennifer explained. The health of their goats is paramount, and managing it requires vigilance. “We love our goats and want them to be really healthy. We also don’t want to house them 100% of the time.” To combat this, they provide shelters so the goats can choose to be under cover or out in the paddock. “Our goats all have a choice to be undercover eating hay or to be out on the grass.” Another issue is parasites. To manage this, the couple employ rotational grazing with cows, a biologically sound strategy whereby the cows consume the parasites which affect the goats, and vice versa.

Sustainability is a core value at Belle Chèvre. “Goats have a light footprint on the land and can produce more protein for human consumption than cows with the same input. They have a varied diet so we can feed them bushes, people’s fallen willows, trimmings from olive trees, and they also eat the weeds.” Jennifer noted. The paddock-to-plate approach further enhances their sustainability, minimising food miles “everything happens here, from milking to cheese-making and packaging.”

Educating customers about goat cheese has been a rewarding challenge for Belle Chèvre. “We used to offer tastings at markets and loved seeing sceptical faces light up after trying our cheese,” Jennifer shared. Now, they leverage their shop, Origin Northland, to stay connected with the community and receive direct feedback from customers.

Belle Chèvre’s most popular product is the basic soft goat cheese, chèvre. They offer it plain or flavoured and have even created unique products like their Raspberry BonBons - Chèvre blended with freeze dried raspberry powder and honey, then dipped in chocolate. Their feta, named “Betta than Feta,” has also garnered acclaim, winning a trophy for the best goats cheese in the 2024 NZ Champions of Cheese Awards.

Looking ahead, Belle Chèvre Creamery continues to move from strength to strength. They aim to implement twice-a-day milking to increase milk yield per goat, thereby making their operation more sustainable. Jennifer also shared that, “this season, we’re working towards some new products. The registration I’ve held to date has only been for cheesemaking. I’ve now increased that to include liquid milk and yoghurt products. So we’re looking forward to offering, through our shop in Waipu, liquid milk in glass, returnable bottles, along with a Greek yoghurt and a labneh.”

Supporting Jennifer and David in their business is a small, dedicated group of staff, such as their farm assistant, Harris McLean. The couple also employ part-time cheese-making contractors Sierra Ardley and Barbara Stewart. Their shop, Origin Northland, is managed by Rosasharn Vincent, who, along with a team of retail staff, ensures smooth operations and dedicated promotion of local producers’ award-winning products.

Belle Chèvre Creamery is a shining example of how passion, community support, and a commitment to quality can turn a dream into reality. Jennifer and David Rodrigue have created not just a business, but a lifestyle that embodies the best of rural New Zealand living, all while producing some of the finest goat cheese in the country.