Brussels - Capella Meadows
Capella Meadows is a biodynamic, organic goat farm nestled within one of the many pastoral vistas of Brussels. This emerging agritourism gem, owned and operated by Erik and Edda Boettcher, is building momentum and getting attention for its small-batch cheese, delicious goat meat and deep commitment to sustainability and animal welfare.
These days, the Boettchers have been hard at work constructing an on-farm cheese-making facility that they hope to have up and running in time for their open house on June 21. As their business continues to expand, the Boettchers are excited to bring more visitors to their farm to experience a different way of thinking about the food.
Erik grew up just across the road from the current Capella Meadows farm. When he was young, his family mostly kept sheep, and a few goats for milking. Erik was hand-milking those goats when he was eight years old. “They became my animal,” Erik explained. That early connection to these unusual-eyed animals evolved into a full-time venture when he and Edda, originally from Düsseldorf, Germany, began building a life together.
Edda hadn’t planned on becoming a cheesemaker - when she started dating Erik, people just started asking her when she was going to start making cheese. She fully embraced the challenge, starting first with an organic goat cheddar, then moving on to a delightfully mild feta. Now that her youngest child is more independent and the cheese-making facility is almost complete, Edda is about to start experimenting. She’s been dreaming of all kinds of unusual cheeses for years, and now the time has come to turn her cheese dreams into a hard (and soft) reality. “We have more cheeses planned but I’m not telling just yet,” she teased. “It’s getting really interesting now - we want to make natural, aged cheeses. When we have our own plant, we can start experimenting with the funky ones.”
While Edda runs the cheese side, Erik manages the family’s farming efforts. The couple transitioned the land from a conventional farm to an entirely organic and biodynamic operation. Their holistic approach to farming emphasizes self-sustaining ecosystems. “The first few years were tough,” Edda recalled. “But the land is now thriving.”
Biodynamic farming also incorporates unique practices such as using herbal preparations to enhance soil and compost quality, and following lunar and celestial cycles. The name, Capella Meadows, is a nod to this approach - Capella, in Latin, means “little goat,” and it is also one of the brightest stars in the northern sky.
Their herd of French Alpine goats graze on pastures full of beneficial herbs like chicory and plantain, which have a much higher mineral spectrum than traditional forage crops. “The goats love them,” Erik explained. The farm also grows several acres of beets, beans, flax and wheat.
The Boettchers also raise meat goats each year - selling to Toronto-based butcher shops that cater to the culinary desires of their diverse clientele. Goat meat is a dietary staple around the world - it’s high in protein, lean, and full of flavour. “Whatever you’d do with beef, I do with goat,” Edda explained. “I like easy recipes.” Of course, you don’t need to go all the way to Toronto to snag yourself an organic goat roast or some chops from Capella Meadows - just stop by their farm store in Brussels!
Despite the hard work of running a diversified farm, the Boettchers find joy in the rhythm of the land, and in their goats. “They’re smart animals,” Erik explained. “Reliable once they know the routine - although they’re clever enough to escape sometimes.” One such recent break-out resulted in the death of a number of the farm’s newly planted trees - the goats simply ate them all.
The Capella Meadows farm store sells organic cheese, meat and produce, Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. If all goes according to plan, the cheese-making facility will be up and running at the beginning of summer. Whether you come for the organic meat and cheese, to check out the happiest goats in Huron County, or just to learn a little about the value of biodynamic farming, Capella Meadows offers a compelling taste of life on a farm - one with stars in its name, and big dreams ahead.
44053 Moncrieff Rd, Brussels
