Amy Wend has produced award-winning goat cheeses and yogurts in the Napa Valley since 1990. Raised in Modesto on her family farm, Amy would help in the kitchen making homemade butter from the family’s dairy cows. Over the years, her passion for gourmet food led the future farmer on tasting excursions throughout Europe. During these travels, Amy discovered the complex nature of goat cheese and its major health advantages over cow’s milk cheeses.
After a career in the Bay Area, her desire to return to the country and farm life brought Amy to the Napa Valley. She began working on an 83-acre goat farm, tending to the organic gardens and assisting in building the cheese plant. Upon meeting Emily, Natalie and Rose—Skyhill Farm’s first goats—she fell in love with the project. In 1990, Amy’s entrepreneurial spirit took over and she bought into this start-up company. Thus begun the process of creating a delicate yogurt and unusual varieties of goat cheeses that Skyhill Farms is recognized for today.
Even though Skyhill Farms has grown and distributors assist in the process of delivering cheese, Amy’s days are still spent with customers, delivering her cheeses fresh to restaurants and stores in the Napa Valley and Bay Area. She enjoys talking to chefs and cultivating first-hand relationships with the people embracing her product. The remainder of Amy’s time is divided between working with the goats, especially during kidding season when the babies need lots of attention, driving her milk truck, and managing sales and marketing.
Passionate about her work with the goats and Skyhill Farms’ high-quality goat yogurt and cheeses, Amy looks forward to expanding the choice products. Building a cave to make aged goat cheeses is just the start.
Thank you for sharing in our experience. Amy and the goats at Skyhill Farms appreciate your support.
