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Surfing Goat Dairy
Categories: Local Flavor Food Local Flavor, Food [Edit]
3651 Omaopio RdKula, HI 96790
(808) 878-2870
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 10 am - 5 pm
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
94 reviews for Surfing Goat Dairy
Review Highlights
"but we will on our very next visit to Maui."
(in 38 reviews)
"There are other tour options avaliable."
(in 50 reviews)
"...loved visiting and tried the cheese sampler, with 6 amazing..."
(in 8 reviews)
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94 reviews in English
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Review from Kerri J.
Everett, WA
1/5/2012
I'm rating this based on the cheese because we didn't do any of the tours...but we did get to pet some baby goats.
You can do a cheese tasting for free where you try four cheeses.
We purchased a flight of goat cheeses where you get to pick 6 cheeses for $12 (and they pack it to go). This is a great deal, you get a good amount of cheese and their cheeses can be pretty pricey.
My favorite was the hard cheese smoked in kiawe and my second would be the soft "ole" cheese.
You can tell they take very good care of their goats and have pride in their product.
Its a fun little drive up to high country and some pretty good cheese too! -
Review from Alan Y.
2/1/2012 2 photos
If you're a fan of funk, and I don't mean Parliament Funkadelic or Bootsy Collins, then come visit the Surfing Goat Dairy and try some of their funked out goat cheese. Personally, I don't care for it. It tastes like how male goat balls smell. And no, I have not teabagged a buck (male goat) or anything ever for that matter. It's got a sort of...feta plus sweaty feet taste.
I would normally rate a unique, local experience significantly higher, but as we were paying for the tour, I suggested we pay cash instead of using a credit card, as there is a $1 surcharge for any purchases under $50 (which is against the credit card companies TOS by the way). My reasoning is that we were unlikely to buy $30 of goat cheese after the tour, and I had the cash in hand. When I voiced my opinion, one of the male employees shot me a death stare, and in a wilting tone said "you should use your card and decide on a purchase after the tour". By reading that, it doesn't sound like he was a complete and utter dick. But yes, he was.
The tour only lasts about 10 minutes, it includes a small paper sack of hay to feed the kid goats, and at $10/person, is about $9/person too expensive. You can technically see all of the tour from the same area as the cheese shop itself. I also saw some sort of hippie employee trundle around, carrying a giant load of filthy clothes and shoes behind the cheese kitchen. That just seemed unusual. Perhaps the employees live on-site?
Short version: Like smelly, funked up cheese and sullen, unfriendly service? Visit this place. -
Review from Jacob that honest guy w.
Oakland, CA
12/5/2011
By far the best goat cheese on the planet. In the bay area there are award winning cheese producers from Bellwhether Farms to Laura Chenel. World class goat cheese producers. SGD ranks right up with their cheeses. Extremely mild, not gamey and very affordable with different techniques.
We were able to take their tour which was very fun and informative! My wife and I got to feed and milk the goats and it was a lot of fun.
We made a chicken salad with their cheese the next day. Man was it good. Very friendly staff and the goats where the stars of the shows. Spoiled rotten. -
Review from Jeni P.
Chattanooga, TN
1/16/2012
I visited during a group tour, where the owners barbequed us a huge spread. The lunch was incredible, and I highly recommend the Lilikoi Goat Cheesecake! The truffles are absolutely amazing, I suggest getting a full dozen to take home with you.
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Review from Logie Z.
Tempe, AZ
10/19/2011 3 photos
Doctor, Doctor I feel like a goat!.
How long have you felt like that?
...Since I was a kid.
They offer tastings of their delightful cheeses!!! Don't miss that!
After the tasting, I got six goat cheese platter with crackers: Mango, horseradish, chives, jalapeno, plain, forgot the other one. I find that they served the wrong cracker combination. It's a little too sweet and nutty that it overwhelms the mild soft cheeses. Water crackers would do better, in my opinion.
We bypassed the regular tour. Yah know, I wanna come back for the actual hands on milking.
My cutie pie loved feeding the cute kids with bags of hay for $1.
What are the surfboards for? -
Review from Letie W.
10/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
I came here yesterday without expectations other than getting to see a bunch of goats, feeding them, and learning about how their cheese is made. The 20 min tour was alright considering it was $10/pp for the tour! Pretty pricey? Yup!
I also learned that there is goat theft rampant in the area. Last year my group was told they lost 2 goats and this year 7. Why so many goats? No one knows, but was told they are stolen in broad daylight. Crazy!!
They offer free cheese tastings (4 mini-spoons of cheese) which was pretty good. What I ended up purchasing (how can you not after driving all the way to Upcountry??) was the Maui's Special. It's to die for. It's infused with olive oil and other stuff, but very very good and highly recommend purchasing if you're in the area.
I also bought the Ole! (had a kick to it), Mandalay (apple, banana, curry), Mango (mango, chutney?), and lilikoi cheese truffles (if you like dark chocolate). These...were OKAY. I suppose it's all based on taste preference.
If you're in the area (say visiting the lavendar fields), stop by. Even if you don't purchase anything, you can feed the goats for $1 (I think). If you have kids, I think they will get a kick out of it. -
Review from LesliAnn K.
Honolulu, HI
8/27/2011
K bravo bravo for really cool name! The image of surfing goats just make me laugh. It was a nice rest stop on the way to the top of Haleakala. We watched cute little goats basking in the sun, browsed the grounds. You can go on a tour for 15 dollars. For the budget-minded and time-limited travelers like ourselves (had to get Haleakala for sunset), we skipped the milking goats/dairy tour (though I wouldn't have minded milking a goat!!!) Instead, our money was well spent getting at $12 sampler split between the five of us. There were six cheeses on a platter.
My personal faves included the Ole Mio (sundried tomatoes) and Rolling green (chives). I like light, non-spicy fare so that's why I was drawn to those two. I believe there's something for everyone, so I would highly recommend the platter! -
Review from Amanda Z.
8/23/2011
On our way up Haleakala, we stopped by at Surfing Goat Dairy. We got the $12 sampler with 6 different cheeses and crackers to try. The sampler included the following flavors:
Mandalay - apple bananas, curry: to be honest, it was not that good. The combination of flavors did not taste good together, and most of this cheese was left on the plate.
Men's Challenge - horseradish: good, the perfect amount of spice to cheese ratio. Would be good with a piece of prime rib!
O Sole Mio - sundried tomato: yummy!
Ole! - jalapenos, artichokes, lime juice, cilantro: spicy and delicious!
Rolling Green - fresh garlic chives : simple, but good.
Ivory Coast - fresh cracked pepper: simple, but good.
Overall, a nice place to rest and hang out for an hour. The baby goats were super cute too! -
Review from Gayle V.
San Jose, CA
8/9/2011
Adorable Goats!
This place is worth the drive up the hill! You get to see a different Maui in the upcountry and then you work your way back down into desert like terrain.
The goats are just too cute and your get a bit of education as well.
And no, you don't have to have children to use as an excuse to visit. If you love animals you will most likely get a smile from this quaint dairy. -
Review from C J M.
San Francisco, CA
12/5/2011
Don't do the tour. It is $10 each to feed a small paper bag of hay to some goats. Meanwhile someone not very engaging recites the stuff that is printed on the posters. It lasted about ten minutes and we didn't get to see much of the farm. The cheese tasting was a stingy, fingernail-sized amount. It was limited to four flavors and you don't get to choose. The dairy room has flies in and was not kept cold, I wonder if that is why I found the cheese wasn't fresh tasting. The chevre is very soft, it has more whey in it (the watery stuff) than a crumbly chevre - to make it go further? It is more like goat ricotta. The more drained cheeses they sell are more expensive than the already over-priced chevre. Two stars because you can see the baby goats (kids) and they are cute. You don't need to do the tour to see the kids or taste some sloppy cheese.
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Review from Sandee L.
6/5/2011
We went on the evening chores tour which consisted of bringing the goats in, milking and feeding the goats, and a tasting. My 2 year old niece absolutely loved milking the goats. It was quite an experience!
I absolutely love goat cheese, so naturally, I had to try the goat cheese sampler. It was amazing! Each had a very uniquely distinct flavor and were extremely creamy (as good goat cheese should be!) No one wanted to share with me. It's all good....more for me!Listed in: Maui, Hawaii
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Review from Patricia H.
CA
5/25/2011
So adorable. Who doesn't like baby goats and who doesn't like fresh n. delicious goat cheese? The dairy is not easy to find, but it's worth the trip. On the drive down their lane we saw a hen with several fluffy baby chicks, quail and the elusive Nene bird! Amazing!
We declined the tour, but did participate in a tasting of several different cheeses. The girl helping us was kind of robotic, but I guess I'd be robotic if I had to keep saying the same thing over and over all day. We ended up choosing the goat cheese with chives - a tiny container cost something like $8, but hey, it's Maui - and the goats are so cute!
A fun side trip, definitely good if you've got kids in your group. Picnic area and shade available too, which is a plus. -
Review from bill b.
Arapahoe, CO
10/8/2011
The cheese is incredibly yummy. Unfortunately, it isn't yummy enough to counter the rudeness of the majority of the folks who work here. The only smiles you might encounter are the fake ones you get when you pull out your wallet. Both the tours and the cheese are overpriced, but either would be tolerable if these guys just had a little aloha spirit. Perhaps I might have enjoyed it more if my kids were really little. If you don't have toddlers, skip this place and spend your hard-earned vacation dollars somewhere else.
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Review from John L.
Honolulu, HI
11/27/2011
Fun! For a while, you're going to wonder if you're heading toward the right direction when coming here though... haha
Came here in November, weather was a bit chilly. Bring a light jacket.
The tour was alright, I'd rate it a good 3.5.
Cheese is delicious! :) The lemonade + lilikoi cheesecake was great. -
Review from Olivia D.
5/12/2011
I love goats, I love cheese, and I super love goat cheese! This farm was a must-stop for us on our extremely long and happy day of touring beautiful upcountry Maui.
A note: after turning off the main road onto Omaopio, you have to go quite a ways down Omaopio before you hit the farm. There are no signs along the way, but you can't miss the turnoff once you get there; its a big farm.
We parked the car along a cute fence and immediately started to play fetch with some energetic border collies. The owners of the farm came over and scolded one of the dogs for being a bit too playful with our 4 year old. The lady was very friendly and chatted with me for a bit about Germany, where they are originally from. She also taught the boy how to command the dogs in German to release the stick so they could stop playing tug-of-war with it.
We didn't have time to go on a tour of the farm, but we did get to pet a bunch of 6 week old kids in a pen next to the cheese shop. They were sleeping when we arrived, but the man who greeted us assured us that they would awaken from their nap shortly. Sure enough, in a few minutes, adorable little goats were bleating and running up to the fence for attention.
As for the cheese, well, it was very good, but it didn't have enough goat-iness for me. It was extremely mild and light. This will please all of my friends who dislike the strong smell and flavor of most goat cheeses, but I prefer a stronger goat flavor. Also, I asked the man if they had any brie made from goat milk and he said it wasn't possible to make brie from goat milk. This isn't true. When I was in Paris, I used to enjoy the most delicious goat milk brie with a soft, oozing center, but I haven't been able to find that here. I'm half tempted to buy some goats and make my own brie . . . hmmm . . . -
Review from Bill S.
8/2/2011
My son only drinks goat milk, so we had to visit this place when we were in Maui.
The tour was interesting, but the Goat Milk they sell there was the best my son has ever had. -
Review from Suzy F.
Arlington, TX
5/30/2011
We started off at the Kula Botanical Gardens, meandered to the Lavender farm where we saw a flier about the Surfing Goat Dairy and decided to go.
We started off somewhat skeptical, so we tried once slice of their cheesecake ($4). It was super fluffy and had a delicious passionfruit syrupy topping. The cheesecake convinced us to sample the cheeses ($15 for 6 cheese samples accompanied with a couple types of crackers).
We sampled the Ole, Mandalay, and Mango Supreme from the Aloha Cheese Line and Ping Pong Balls, BBQ, and French Dream. We really enjoyed each cheese sample. They were super flavorful and the BBQ, Mango and so many others had really original flavoring.
We also learned that Ono Gelato has an Ice Cream that uses their cheese and Flatbread has an amazing pizza that has their goat cheese as a topping.
After the cheeses spoke for themselves, we learned that these cheeses have won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place at National Cheese competitions in Wisconsin. Their cheese was also flown in for Obama's inauguration.
We decided to skip the goat tour, in part because it was late in the day and because it was an extra $15 dollars. However, we watched some baby goats in a play area right next to the parking lot.
If you are in Upcountry for the Botanic Gardens or Lavender farm, I recommend stopping by the Surfing Goat Dairy. If you are in Paia, it's a quick 10 minute drive to get to the Dairy. If you are on Maui for more than a day or two, I'd recommend incorporating Surfing Goat Dairy into your itinerary. We definitely enjoyed it.Listed in: My Maui Favorites
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Review from Carey W.
San Diego, CA
5/11/2011 4 photos
I'm writing this review for my sister who had a run-in with an extremely pretentious, unfriendly staff member who was working the cheese counter. It put her in a bad mood and ruined her day, so for that I am writing this bad review!
But personally, I loved the baby goats they had in their pens! I had my fill of petting them and taking cute pictures of them through the fence. They come towards you if you clap your hands. This is a good stop if you like the simple pleasures in life, like petting small animals.
And as for the cheese, I didn't actually have any myself, but every nice restaurant around the island boasted their brand in the dishes. I'm sure it would have been good... -
Review from Stephanie S.
Los Angeles, CA
7/12/2011
Great! Worth the drive (now, nothing in Maui is too far to drive, even the road to Hana!). Very friendly staff and interesting tour. Well goats are goats. We brought two little twin toddlers who loved playing with the goats and dogs and even the grouchy old pig.
Tour wasn't cheap ($15) but reasonable. Cheese was expensive but tasty. Since they are not licensed to sell goats milk, for some reason they gave us a glass to sample free.
You get to learn about goats, feed them, pet them, milk them and gets pics if you want to.
Overall was a lot of fun since the kids had a great time. -
Review from Tamara N.
Atherton, CA
10/23/2011
If you go to Maui, don't miss the Surfing Goat Dairy. We did the tour, the tasting, had the cheese platter for lunch, bought a hat and fed the goats. We had a great time. We loved all the flavors of the goat cheese we tried. I loved the Mandalay flavor! Everyone was friendly and informative. And the goats? Adorable!!
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Review from Joc V.
Oakland, CA
9/4/2011 5 photos
The Kids are Alright!
Lame, lame I know. But this really was the highlight of our trip. Feeding the goats, learning about the folks who own and operate this place, getting to know Sherry and Locke the peeps who helped make our visit that much more enjoyable--it all made for a great experience. The tour was a half hour long, just enough time to meet my favorite kids Poi and Silver and to feed them with bags of hay provided by tour guide Sherry. Most inspiring was the story of Eva and Gary Kafsack who left their home and professions--she, a teacher and he, a software company exec--to move to Maui and fill what was obviously a void on the island, gourmet goat cheese production! How cool is that--they do some research, create a vision and pursue a passion. Both are active in daily dairy ops either on the dairy itself or doing marketing for their cheeses. Their goat cheese truffles were so good I got only one bite after the 2-year old devoured it. We came home with a jar of feta and a lifetime of memories.
Thank you Surfing Goat! -
Review from Rachel W.
Santa Monica, CA
4/4/2011
Just got back from my trip to Maui. I never write reviews but was so irritated by the service I just received from one guy on Sunday (African American, didn't get his name) that it put a sour taste in my mouth, and I don't mean the cheese. Extremely pretentious, this 'cheese god' felt it was beneath him to answer even my basic questions without some arrogant remark. Overall, not very friendly environment and the cheese is overpriced.
Also note, they said they charge a $1 fee for any credit card purchases under $50, which to my recollection, is illegal for all merchants in the US. Otherwise, it was an okay experience and the baby goats were cute. -
Review from Kev M.
San Francisco, CA
1/27/2011
Super friendly people who make super tasty goat cheese.
Yup. Taste some cheese. Buy some cheese. Pet some goats.
Sounds like a nice day, huh?
The caraway goat cheese was my favorite.
And the cheese is pasteurized, which I believe gives it a creamier texture than some goat cheeses that are more like a small curd ricotta.
I thought it was a great quick stop in our day of driving around the island.
You can convince your girlfriend to go here after she's dragged you to the lavender farm nearby, which has amazing lavender dark chocolate, by the way. -
Review from Byoung Kyu S.
Plano, TX
2/8/2011
I wish I could give way more stars than 5! Surfing Goat Farm is awesome! If you are ever in Maui, I would definitely recommend taking 1/2 a day visiting this place. Look at their calendar and see if you are in town during the Saturday Grand Dairy Tour. It's offered twice a month and for $25, a super bargain.
You show up at 9 AM. Sign-in and just kind of check out part of the dairy. Then the owners and part of the helping hands give you a tour. The goats are everywhere and very accessible. You get to see the herding dogs in action. We even got to see and hold a 3-day old goat.....SUPER-DUPER-CUTE!!!!!
After the tour, you get to sit and sample 20+ cheeses. WOW! Awesome-awesome cheese!
The overall experience was extremely memorable. I would love to do the tour again next time I'm in Maui! -
Review from Julia M.
Orlando, FL
9/14/2011
Great local farm making great products fresh daily. The 20 min tour was a great overview of what they do, why, & how, & the tasting selection of cheeses was yummy!
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Review from Maria Q.
Honolulu, HI
9/2/2010
One of my favorite places on Maui! The baby goats are so cute and the cheese is scrumptious. It's can get a little pricy to take the cheese home - however, do stop and get a sampler plate. We had one with 8 different cheeses and it was more than enough for two people (we were stuffed afterwards).
I heard that if you take the tour in the evening you get to milk the goats....teehee - perhaps the next visit? -
Review from Malissa L.
Chicago, IL
3/7/2011
My first trip to Maui with a friend who's been to the island previously but she never had visited the 'goats'. We had a fabulous time and loved the fresh cheese tasting.
When we found out that they had "TSA" friendly packing that was frozen in a handy dandy lunch carrier, we were both lined up to get a plate of snacks and ordered our TSA friendly packs! Our resort gave a little 'pushback' when we asked them to hold the TSA packs in their freezer but in the end, they obligued.
I'm hopeful that I can find some Surfing Goat at Whole Foods - if not, there's always shipping to the mainland for holidays!
...now where did I save that picture of the cute little kid on the board...Comment from Thomas K. of Surfing Goat Dairy 3/15/2011
Thank you sop much for your kind review! You can always… More » -
Review from Kate J.
Blue Bell, PA
9/14/2011
You will love this place!
Take the tour the first time you visit, at least. The goats are adorable and the staff and owners are delightful. You can feed the goats, sample the cheeses and order a snack in a beautiful environment.
They have some lovely soaps and really cute t-shirts. They will pack you a TSA bag with six cheeses to take home. The Maui Secret is particulsrly good.
But whatever you do, don't miss the truffles. They are luscious. We tried the coffee, lilikoi, tangerine, coffee and ginger. Each was outstanding. Oh we also tried the Mandalay which blends dark chocolate with apple bananas and curry - just outstanding.
The folks make quality their primary focus and it shows in everything they do.
Oh, also if you like you can bring your own wine to enjoy with your cheese plate. I wish that we had remembered. -
Review from Jeremy A.
7/16/2010
This is definitely not what you would expect in the Maui Upcountry, a goat farm!
We knew we have arrived when there was a goat standing on the road in what looked to be a lookout position. We later found out this goat had recently and often escapes from her pen to greet guests at the road.
There is a makeshift petting zoo with tons of baby goats, very cool to watch them butt into each other and fight over surfboard to stand on.
We got a sample of all the cheeses and ended up taking a number of containers home with us. If you're a fan of goats and cheese, this place is hilarious and has plenty of both for you. -
Review from Cory D.
Laguna Niguel, CA
11/22/2011
Our tour at Surfing Goat Dairy was one of the highlights of our Maui vacation. The goats, all hand raised, are beautiful. The property in Kula is idyllic and the spread of sample cheeses at the end is amazing! The best cheese EVER! And the goat cheese truffles... The best. Highly recommend this activity.
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Review from Roberto H.
San Jose, CA
6/2/2011
This is a delightful place. Who doesn't love goats? An impressive operation with a great location. The drive offers views of the island that lots of visitors have probably never seen--well worth the trip. My only criticism is that the tour staff could use a bit of coaching in the area of customer service. It's otherwise such a happy place.
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Review from Diana M.
Whittier, CA
7/1/2011
This place is so cute. I have been to maui several times and have never checked this place out. Cheese is soooo yummy. Take a drive up to maui winery pick up a bottle and make your way here for cheese. Staff is really nice. They have a outdoor eating area and offer drinks and food.
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Review from Richard M.
Riverside, CA
4/17/2010
If your looking for something different to do in Maui other then sightseeing this is the place to go. They have some of the best goat cheese I've ever tasted. And the flavors they offer are really quite ingenious. Not the average goat cheese. You can order lunch and sit outside tasting several different cheeses with bread and crackers.
It's not fancy, your in someones backyard were they raise goats and make cheese. They have a tour but we were only interested in eating the cheese.
In the pen they had several baby goats, and on the hillside they have quite a few full grown goats. Its a nice change and the personnel are very pleasant and helpful. -
Review from Megan C.
12/18/2008
Hi... It's Maui. You're on an island and this is SOOOOOOOOO FUN!!! Especially if you've got kids. There are 40 + goats pregnant and expecting right now. BABIES BABIES BABIES are on the way. I don't care how cheesy (no pun intended) or how out of the way or who says this place is not worth the trip. If someone thinks this place is not worth the trip then they're just boring and belong on a beach laying in the sun with a REAALLY strong drink and no one within earshot. If you're fun at all - even remotely fun then this place is cute, slightly retarded (in a good way), and definitely worth a visit.
If you're not in an adventurous mood and you can't entertain yourself at all then you probably won't like this place (and they wouldn't like you either so don't bother).
My family came here and couldn't help but laugh. My father walked up to feed one of the goats (on our cheesy tour that shouldn't cost $7 but whatever, let's support the farm) and he didn't pay attention to the fact that he was holding his little paper bag too close and the large male with inflated breasts (yes they get large when they mate but they look like a spare set of balls) nearly knocked him over trying to devour the entire bag.
The cheese is a little expensive, but you know the goats are well fed, well cared for, and even if you're a lactard you can still eat this cheese - so who cares!
Date Rating: 8 (10 if you're date isn't like talking to a wall)
Pick up Scale: N/A (definitely bring your own friends)
Strong Suggestion: Go to the lavender farm in the area but skip the vineyard if you're pressed for time. Their wine isn't anything to write home about.Listed in: Lahaina (Maui) Hawaii, Feel good shops
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Review from Lyn P.
12/18/2008 1 Check-in Here
If you are a cheese lover or you like quirky places to visit, you have to make a stop at the Surfing Goat Dairy. It's a short drive from the Kahului airport and/or Kihei. Even getting there is an adventure - you're driving through a road that was basically carved out of the sugar cane fields and you have a great view of Haleakala the whole time.
I was already familiar with their product as there are a couple of places in San Diego that sell Surfing Goat cheese. I kinda just looked around a little (there were baby goats that were just a few days old, super cute) and made it back to the shack to check out what was up.
I was greeted by a really nice young lady. We talked a bit about who sells their cheese in SD and then I kinda hung out until the couple who arrived at the same time as me was ready for a tasting. We tasted 4 cheeses - one was a harder cheese (think feta in consistency) that had a BBQ flavor to it. She recommended using that cheese with beef - like a steak. I do love cheese/meat concoctions like that so it sounded legit. The second cheese didn't stand out too much, don't remember much about it. The third one was their Maui Special - it had the consistency of cream cheese and was really good. The last cheese was a new one - a harder cheese with cranberries (they call it Canada). Also really good.
So at that point, I had to decide if I was going to suck it up and spend $50 on cheese because I hadn't stopped to get cash and they only take cards for purchases over $50. Um, yeah, I can spend $50 on cheese, right? So a no brainer, I got the Maui special, figuring I'd eat that while I am here. Then I got the Canada - it comes frozen so you can travel with it. I also bought a jar of the Ping Pong balls, which is the product that I am most familiar with as it has been a staple of the cheese selection at Extraordinary Desserts back home. They also had homemade jams - they let me sample the starfruit, which was awesome and would go well with the Ping Pong cheese.
I also bought a bar of goat's milk soap and then a piece of the lilikoi cheesecake. I sat down to eat the cheesecake. It was delighful - the cheesecake part was light, almost like a mousse. There were flecks of vanilla bean throughout and the lilikoi glaze really added to the flavor.
I skipped out on the tour because I was pretty over being out, but if I had my nephew with me, I would have taken him because he would dig on seeing the goats.
A really nice and relaxing diversion. Can't wait to eat the cheese I bought.
P.S. That whole $50 card thing is what is preventing all 5 stars. I'd rather that they charge for the transaction than making me rack up $50 before they took my card. But I guess it's my own fault for not bringing cash. Next time I'll know!Listed in: Hawaii 2008, Maui Revealed
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Review from Su-Lynn T.
New York, NY
6/2/2011 6 photos
I guess you have to be a real fan of goat cheese to really enjoy yourself here. I don't particularly like it, but still I did have a good time here, and even shared the cheese sampler with my husband. It's a good thing that they had different flavors of the cheeses so they weren't too bad, and the quark cheese was actually pretty good. They had tours and stuff you could sign up for but we didn't, choosing to walk around ourselves and take pictures of the goats. It's really pictureque there so it's worth a stop if you happen to be upcountry, and if you like goat cheese, then you'll probably have a ball.
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Review from Scott K.
Honolulu, HI
5/25/2011 3 photos
My kids enjoy this place when were in Maui. Located right below Haleakala, this goat farm is activity you can add if you plan on spending a day in upcountry. Kids love the feeding of the goats and the other animals that hang out on the farm. The staff is friendly and even teaches you how the goat cheese is made and how it differs from other cheeses. Even though im not a fan of Goat cheese, this is still a neat place for families.
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Review from Chris C.
Union City, CA
10/26/2007
The Fiance and I decided to stop off at Surfing Goat Dairy to check the place out. Surfing Goat Dairy is a working Dairy located on one of the roads that lead to Haleakala. The place can be hard to miss so you have to drive slowly once you get close. Once you turn into the street for Surfing Goat Dairy you drive down a long Palm Tree Drive to get there. Along the way you can see the pens where they keep the goats and the barn where they do the milking.
We got here around 3ish and the place was empty. I have to say the place is a bit of a let down and nothing like the website. The main tourist area is more like a shack. Outdoor area is like run down picnic tables. They do offer samples of the goat cheese and lunch if you're hungry. We did sample a couple of cheeses and ended up getting a smoked goat cheese and a macadamia nut goat cheese. It ended up costing like around $25 for the cheese. Both cheese were good (not great but good enough to buy) but the woman there was not hospitable at all. She seemed very annoyed that we were there at all.
They do offer tours and before we met this lady we were thinking about doing the tour but decided against it because her demeanor was so negative. To be honest not sure if there is even much to tour either jdugin by the place. So we got our cheese and left. Just didn't want to annoy this women even more.
Overall, if you can get the cheese in the store, might be worth it as the quality is good. But otherwise not worth a special trip especially since all you're coming to is a shack out in the middle of nowhere greeted by someone who is annoyed by the fact that you even showed up. 2 stars and it's all based upon the cheese being good otherwise just skip this Surfing Goat Dairy and save your time and drive from something else on Maui. -
Review from Molly H.
8/27/2009
Goats are awesome. Surfing Goat Dairy is a very cute little farm and the cheese is really fantastic. The tour, let's be honest, a rip-off unless you have kids or really enjoy photographing goats. I do (enjoy photographing), so I did.
I wanted to try more, they only give you a few samples. Most have won awards, so you can't really go wrong, but some of the cheeses and spreads are a matter of taste. I don't really want my goat cheese smoked, but others may like that kind of thing. The whole experience is fun, so if you have the time, stop by Surfing Goat. -
Review from Kristen S.
Chicago, IL
7/13/2010
Adorable little goat farm on the Haleakala volcano Upcountry. I recommend this as a stop for a snack and to enjoy the goats. They are so cute and fun and the little cafe is worth a stop.
A little of the beaten path - and it can be muddy if it has been raining so be forewarned - but highly recommended if you are headed Upcountry for the day!
