For many unsuspecting patrons of the Denbigh Agricultural Show and the FAO Booth, a sample of goat dairy was the experience of the day. Through a partnership with Ruby Goat Dairy, FAO invited Denbigh patrons to sample goat milk, goat cheese- chèvre, and goat milk yoghurt - delivered in the form of a smoothie.

The session dubbed Taste & Evaluate offered an opportunity to garner the feedback of locals on the taste of goat’s produce outside of the nation’s traditional curried goat. The reactions varied across age groups, some with excitement, some with hesitation and some with childhood memories of the familiar taste. Some of the reactions are captured in our photo word cloud while others had this to say about Goat dairy...

“Easy on the palate”

“A smooth unique taste”

“Tastes rich and sweeter than cow’s milk”

“Grabbing taste”

“Tastes weird”

“Unsatisfied- hate it”

“Excellent, rich, natural taste”

“Goat milk-love it!”

“A unique flavour that is excellent”

“Tasted a little fermented”

*Check out the word cloud photo for more reactions. 

Of the over 80 Denbigh patrons that completed an evaluation of goat dairy, 98% enjoyed the taste of various products. The sampling crowd raised many questions about the cost of the various goat dairy products and demonstrated reluctance to pay high costs for the product at retail outlets. However, they acknowledged significant interest in the products availability on the market, its nutritional value and expressed delight in trying the product again.

As FAO supports the Government of Jamaica in developing a Small Ruminants Industry Plan, the development of a value chain around the product is a key area in strengthening the industry's potential to contribute to the local economy.

The sampling of goat dairy offered an unofficial opportunity to understand the potential buy-in of goat dairy consumption using Denbigh patrons as a microcosm of the larger Jamaican population.