CKC Farms, a family-owned Blanco micro dairy, has been producing goat cheese for 15 years that is distributed throughout the state. Founder Chrissy (Omo) Grundy and her brothers Kenny and Connor form the “CKC” is not only the name of the business but in day-to-day operations.

As a Blanco High School FFA student, Chrissy (Omo) Grundy raised two meat goats to show in the county Stock Show but says she didn’t realize that Ozzie and Cosmos were being raised for their meat. The goats became the family’s pets instead of going to market.

When the family moved to Germany for six months, Chrissy and her parents explored the local markets and tasted the local cheeses. They traveled to Italy on holiday and Chrissy was completely enamored with the local cheese.

Adriana Omo, the family matriarch, is originally from Peru and raised the three children with a broad palate and an appreciation for cheese.

“I remember tasting the cheeses from the mountains in different parts of South America, and they were so unique to each area,” she said.

When the family came back to the U.S., Chrissy convinced her parents to help her buy 10 dairy goats.

“One of the goats miscarried and she had so much milk that we were milking her twice a day,” Chrissy said. “The milk filled our refrigerator, so I started experimenting with cheese myself.”

She read everything she could on cheesemaking She studied the science of cheese-making, which she notes is “the aging and preservation of milk.” She spent time working at the Pure Luck Dairy Farm in Dripping Springs.

In 2006, CKC Farms went into the commercial cheese-making business. Chrissy enlisted the help of her brothers. Kenny, who will be a senior at Texas State studying computer science, and Connor, BHS sophomore, to help with twice-daily milking and loads of other chores.

Ten years ago, Chrissy was also studying international business and Italian at Texas State University. A semester State University. A semester studying abroad in Florence, Italy cemented her passion for cheese-making.

“When they realized I wanted to work on my Italian and that I also loved making cheese, the school paired me with the regional dairy inspector,” Chrissy said. “I got to visit all the little stone farms making Pecorino throughout Tuscany.”

“Cheese-making is so intuitive,” she said. “In Europe, they make cheese by hand not by machine. It’s like watching an orchestra, how it all comes together. The Italians know by looking at the milk and at the curd to know what it needs.”

She learned that while there is a lot of science in the process, cheese can be artisanal with a product that reflects its origin. She learned that the cheese changes throughout the seasons.

When she returned to Texas, she was determined to use what she had learned and experienced to make artisanal homemade goat cheese.

Today, nearly 15 years later the entire Omo family, who have 100 “free range” goats on 70 acres just south of the Little Blanco River across the Comal County line, operate the micro dairy.

“The goats are mainly grass-fed at the farm,” Chrissy said. “We buy local hay and occasionally they are spoiled with oats, sunflower seeds and alfalfa,” Chrissy said. “We try to keep their diet natural and as close to their original diet as possible. It’s better for them, and it makes better-tasting cheese. February through August is our high season.”

She said they milk year-round and just like the Italians, she notes a difference in the cheese throughout the season.

“In colder weather the milk has a richer flavor resulting in a creamier thicker cheese and in warmer weather the milk is in abundance which gives the cheeses very light grassy notes,” she said.

CKC Farms have three breeds of dairy goats—Saanen, an Italian breed; Alpine, of French descent; and Oberhasli, a Swiss breed. Males are separated from females after they’ve been bred because goat milk absorbs smells, Chrissy noted.

They separate kids from the nannies four days after birth and bottle feed the kids. Kenny and Connor milk the nannies before and after school, which is done by machine and can take one to five minutes per nanny, depending on its age.

Chrissy, now a mother with a one-year-old son spends more time on marketing and business operations, but works with her mother to make cheese three to four times a week, producing 200 to 300 pounds of cheese a week.

“One gallon of milk produces one pound of cheese,” Chrissy said. “In addition to tradition chevre, we make a feta, blue and a Baby Caprino, which is an Italian aged Camembert-style cheese. We offer flavored chevre’ with herbs, jalapeno artichoke and a peach chipotle that is really popular this year.”

Parents Daniel and Adriana Omo not only invested in the start-up herd but tapped their savings to build a customized state-of-the-art cheese-making building, complete with a tasting area for the public.

“This business was created to pay for all our children’s college expenses,” Adriana said. “It was Chrissy’s ideas and passion for cheese-making that was the catalyst, but it has been the hard work of all three children. They have learned so much from this business.”

CKC Farms cheeses are represented by Antonelli’s Cheese Shop in Austin and Houston’s Dairymaids for wholesale orders. The Omos brothers are regulars at the Fredericksburg farmers’ market on Thursday nights and their parents operate a stand at the Pearl Farmers’ Brewery.

“For 15 years we’ve operated this family business and our cheese is still handmade by someone who cares about the animals and the product from beginning to end,” Chrissy said. “It’s what makes our cheese special.”

The Omos family invite groups to contact the farm at [email protected] for information about tours. Visit CKCFarms.com for more information.