There is good news for goat farmers. The popularity of goat milk is steadily rising in North America. Since 2016, it has risen from a market value of US $9.34 billion to $13.06 billion and is expected to be $21.07 billion by 2023.
The reason for goat milk’s increase in popularity amongst consumers is due to the further understanding of its health benefits, accessibility to people with a sensitivity to cow's milk, and the expanding population rate in North America.
People are now more conscious of their health, their diet and the foods they eat are impacted. As a result, consumers are increasingly becoming more aware of the benefits of goat's milk and are adding it to their diet as a push towards healthier eating. For example, goat milk is great for lowering cholesterol levels, easing digestion, avoiding insulin resistance, and improving platelet count. It also has nutrients like vitamin A, calcium, and potassium that promote good bone health.
Along with its nutritional benefits, the support with digestion that goat milk provides makes it a popular choice. This includes infants and elderly people as these age groups have a harder time with digestion. Additionally, many people who are lactose intolerant have found goat’s milk to be a great alternative to cow's milk.
However, as popularity of goat milk grows amongst consumers, there are still factors making it difficult for market expansion. As any goat farmer know, although goats are easy to handle and cost effective in comparison to cows, the low milk production and high labour demands of goats makes their milk difficult to produce on a large scale. Having a growing consumer demand but limited production ability causes goat products to be expensive. Despite this cost, the market is still expected to increase significantly. And provides an excellent opportunity for farm gate sales.
Canada has played a role in the expansion of the dairy goat industry. Among the top producers globally are two companies that produce 100% Canadian goat milk: Hewitts Dairy and Woolwich Dairy. Both companies are local to Ontario, where about 80% of all Canadian goat milk production happens.
The May/June issue of Small Farm Canada will have a feature on goat milk. If you are not already subscribed, subscribe now.