Two friends, a former food engineer and a chemist, have made a drastic change in life to become goat farmers in the rural Zeytinli neighborhood of western Turkey's Balıkesir.
Chemist Cansu Cansunal and food engineer Ozan Ektik, both 36 years old, decided to build a goat milk production farm in the village a year and a half ago after working various jobs. They started with 20 milk-producing "Saanen" goats, but the farm has since grown to accommodate 100 of the animals.
The facility produces 750 tons of milk and 12 tons of cheese a year, and the young entrepreneurs are happy to share their experiences with others interested in this field of work.
Cansunal explained that they had chosen the Saanen goat breed because of its high milk yield. "The goats give a minimum of three liters of milk a day but can produce up to six or seven liters," he said.
The milk is especially beneficial to the elderly, infants, and cancer patients. "On the market, goat milk is absolutely mixed with cow and sheep milk. Our milk is totally additive free," Cansunal continued.
"We do not take any fat from the milk and cheese. As it is, we produce it with its own fat. For this reason, it is very soft compared to other options in the cheese market," he added.
Cansunal's partner Ektik said that the pair really started to enjoy themselves after they began working with the goats, even when they worked all day and night on the farm.
"When we first began, people found our decision odd because we did not have backgrounds in livestock breeding. They told us to get a professional shepherd. We are really enjoying it and we think we are successful," Ektik said.
Despite their successes, the two young entrepreneurs have emphasized that they hope to further improve their farm facilities as well as the production and marketing of their goat milk products.