Dairy goats create new career for couple

By LYNN MONTGOMERY | East Texas Edition

Charlene Callicoat of Van Zandt County gets a few affectionate rubs from some of her Nubian goats. -- Staff photo by Montgomery

Sept. 2, 2004 - When Charlene Callicoat fell in love with the cute, floppy-earred goats at a county fair in Virginia, she knew she had to buy some. What she didn't know was those goats would lead her to a new career ... goat milk.

"I knew I would have dairy goats. I like their disposition. They have richer milk and are very affectionate. They are talkers (meaning they bleat loudly)," Callicoat said.

Callicoat lived in Virginia at the time she purchased her first Nubian (a dairy breed) goats.

In 1997, she and her Nubian nannies moved to Texas. Shortly after her arrival to the Van Zandt County area, Callicoat was laid-off from her job. She made a decision that affected her checkbook, in more ways that one.

Using milk from her goats, she began making goat soap; and Goatberry Soap poured into existence.

One of the dairy goats at Leche de Tejas gives an inquisitive look. -- Staff photo by Montgomery

Every facet of Goatberry Soap is done by Callicoat - milker, soap maker, and package designer.

Originally the thought was: "If I could make enough money to feed my girls (goats) so that the girls could be self-supported, that would work."

In the beginning, Callicoat, along with the help of husband Alan, attended local festivals, selling their Goatberry Soap.

The soaps are lye (sodium hydroxide) combined with different oils. A pamphlet states "Cleopatra understood the benefits of bathing in milk long ago .... Now you can too."

The soap line has grown to about 14 different fragrant soaps, which includes Peachy Vanilla, Oatmeal, Milk and Honey, Masculine Magic, Purely Pear, Cu Melon, Texas Mist and Luscious Lavender. Lotion bars, salt glow scrub, body butters, complexion bars, and a shaving soap, which is a reminder of yester year.

"It's like the old-time shaving soap (a shaving brush is needed)," the soapmaker stated. Husband Allen, who like several men, experiences razor burn from shaving, was Callicoat's tester. He began using the shaving soap, and hasn't experienced the rash since.

After displaying her products at several festivals, the soap appeared to take off - which was evident after the first year when Callicoat saw how much she had sold when figuring her income tax.

"I couldn't believe we sold that much soap," she said.

Another growing part of the business is the actual milk.

"When people found out the goats on the labels were ours, they started asking about the milk," Callicoat said.

In June 2002, construction began on the Leche de Tejas dairy. Currently, the dairy is the only licensed Grade A goat dairy in Van Zandt County and sells raw milk to the public and wholesales pasteurized milk. Jugs for the goats' milk are purchased from Southwest Dairy in Tyler.

Milking time at Leche de Tejas is no different than milking time at a cow dairy, except it is on a much smaller scale. The goats come in one at a time and jump onto the milking stand. Each nanny's milk is tested. One test is the California Mastitis Test which is the test performed on dairy cattle. If testing proves the milk is unsafe, the goat is milked by hand and the milk is either poured out or fed to the numerous Great Pyrenees dogs which protects the 70-plus herd. Goats, whose milk is okay, are milked using a smaller version milking machine.

Once the goats are milked, the milk is strained and then poured into jugs and put into cold water for cool down. After the milk is cooled, it is put into a refrigerator.

"We have customers around the area. A local vet has used the milk for an orphaned fawn and others have used the milk for foals," Callicoat said.

Some facts about goat milk is it has 13 percent less lactose than cow's milk and 41 percent less than human milk. The fat particles in goat's milk are smaller than cow's milk, making it very easy to digest. Goat milk is also naturally homogenized.

The dairy is also waiting on a cheese permit and hopes to be making cheeses in the near future.

"Nubian milk is rich and makes a nice soft cheese. A good cheese will have a certain tartness but not sour," Callicoat explained.

She said the best cheese is made with milk that is one- to two-days-old.

Long term, the Callicoat and her husband would like to market the dairy setup as "a weekend in the life of a goat farmer" to the metroplex residents. This idea would enable a person to come, pick out a goat, milk the goat and further process that milk, whether it be for drinking, soap making, or cheese making.

For more information about Leche de Tejas or Goatberry Soap, call 903-852-7242 or e-mail leche_de_tejas@earthlink.net.

The Goatberry line can be found at Texas True in Tyler; Round-up Cafe in Ben Wheeler; Marty's Antiques in Edom; and Tin Lizzie's in Alto.