The Bio-Haff Baltes in Stegen is a true family-run farm. Father Daniel Baltes runs the farm together with his son Kristof and their two wives. In 1995, the family moved from the centre of Stegen to the outskirts of the village and completely rebuilt their business there from scratch. Today, the farm is a diverse operation involving goat breeding, Limousin suckler cow rearing and Icelandic horses. Particularly noteworthy is the consistent path Daniel has taken: in 2000, he converted the farm to organic farming, followed in 2007 by the bold move into goat farming. A large part of the family’s income now comes from the sale of goat’s cheese – an unusual but successful model of agricultural diversification for Luxembourg, which has proven its worth over the years.
Goat’s cheese production is at the heart of the Bio-Haff Baltes. Around 180 White German Noble goats – a breed descended from the Saanen goat, known for its high milk yield – are milked twice a day. Each goat produces around 600 to 650 litres of milk over the course of a year. This milk is used to produce a wide range of cheeses in the farm’s own cheese dairy: cream cheese, soft cheese and hard cheese, totalling 20 to 25 products. Father and son deliberately prioritise independence – producing yet another ‘Gouda’ was never an option for them. Instead, they focus on products that were not yet available on the market. They control the entire production process themselves: from the milk to the finished cheese. The family describes this control as one of their greatest sources of satisfaction.
Bio-Haff Baltes also prioritises self-sufficiency when it comes to feed: all the roughage for the goats comes from the farm’s own land. A particular highlight is the farm’s own hay-drying facility, which gently dries the hay. The freshly mown grass is transported by trailer to the drying hall, distributed into the drying boxes by crane and processed into high-quality hay using heated air within two to three days. This produces what is known as ‘hay milk’ – a mark of quality that is also reflected in the taste of the cheese. This focus on quality and independence characterises the entire farm. Daniel Baltes looks back with satisfaction: what began as a small herd of 40 animals has grown into a thriving farm with almost 200 goats – proof that having the courage to specialise pays off.
The joy of making cheese comes from the fact that we do everything ourselves, from the milk right through to the finished product. That gives us a tremendous sense of satisfaction.
