Our Story

A note from Paula Butler, owner of Standing Stone Farms…

When I began Standing Stones Farms, it was with a promise to my husband of thirty plus years that raising goats would be a little side hobby.  Little did I know…

In 2005, my family relocated from Maryland to Tennessee; just outside of Nashville. The new home and property reminded me of a magical experience I had while visiting a small working goat creamery in the town of Washington, Virginia years ago.  Many times over the years after visiting that farm, I would catch myself smiling as I recalled the frolicking baby goats in the fields and the sheer amazement of watching milk turn into cheese. Having grown up in the fast paced hustle and bustle environment, in the shadow of our nation’s capital, I found the slower pace of that goat farm, and the idea of a farm-to-table lifestyle very appealing. I decided to follow my heart and explore an idea I had been considering for a several years and I was instantly in love with the quaint lifestyle and the Nubian breed of goats. 

At that time, I had no real exposure to farming, certainly not goat farming or cheese making, let alone teaching others to make cheese.  But when I realized how easy it was to make cheese and how amazing homemade cheese was, my modest plans grew quickly.  Before I knew it, I was all in.  People would come to my home, try my homemade cheeses, and ask how they could possibly do it themselves. 

Soon, I was teaching classes for people of all levels of cooking abilities, and the classes were ever growing.  In my farm kitchen, people learned the pleasure of making homemade cheese and butter was within their reach, just as I had learned it was within mine. It wasn’t just goat cheese but sheep’s milk cheese as well as many cow’s milk cheeses.  We were making mozzarella, cheddar, ghee, queso blanco, mascarpone, feta, ricotta, burrata…you name it!  My little hobby became a business I absolutely loved and other people were loving it too.

In 2011, after many requests from students and friends, I decided to add to the business by selling cheese making supplies and ingredients geared toward the home cheese maker and cheese enthusiast, so others could enjoy the same wonderful cheeses at home that they were having at Standing Stone Farms.  Watching milk turn to cheese and butter is a magical experience, one of my favorite things, and I’m so happy to be able to share that magic with you.

How are we different from other cheese making suppliers out there?

Standing Stone Farms Cheese Kits are unlike other cheese kits that are mass-produced and sold as Mozzarella Kits or Cheddar Kits or Chevre Kits. We do not offer a multitude of kits for different types of cheeses, as most cheese made at home uses the same 1 - 5 ingredients.  When you buy a Standing Stone Farms Cheese-Making Kit, you’re going to receive a box containing everything you need to turn your store-bought or farm fresh milk into several different kinds of cheeses at home adding to your cheese making experience.  Because of this, our overall pricing is, in fact, lower than most of the other kits on the market, while still maintaining the highest possible quality. Our kits have come a long way over the years and we strive to keep your shopping experience as easy, affordable, and simple as possible.  Each Standing Stone Farms kit offers many different recipes and the ability to make more cheese making options within one kit and of course, more cheese! 

Here at Standing Stones Farms, we feel strongly about using the freshest hand-packed, non-GMO ingredients, sourced in the USA (with a few exceptions from France and India). We use the same products used in artisan creameries around the world and strongly believe in only selling products of the highest standard. 

We also feel strongly about not selling the consumer anything they don’t need.  Cheese making has been done for centuries in small kitchens and large; virtually every kitchen is already stocked with all the equipment needed for home cheese making.  All you need is a few ingredients to make any cheese you can think of and most all of those are available through us.  Standing Stone Farms is committed to providing you with the best, freshest, most foolproof ingredients and recipes so that you can have a successful experience every time you venture into the kitchen to make cheese.

Every time we make a decision here at the farm it is with the best interest of our customers in mind.  We always ask ourselves if we would like this product or packaging or how would we want to be treated in a customer service situation.  Of course, when you love the world of cheese making as much as my family does, building these kits, sourcing our products and discovering new ideas about cheese is a wonderful way to spend your day.

We are very proud of our kits and ingredients and took a large step in 2015 in working towards being a "green" company.  It has been a challenging task transforming our products and production, but well worth the effort, time and expense.  As of November 2015, most of our kits are made and packaged with recycled products.  We are working regularly at offering the best, most organic ingredients we can locate.  Our goal is to be the very best producer of home cheese making kits and supplies in the marketplace. 

Here’s to your happy and successful journey through home cheese making!

-Paula Butler

Standing Stone Farms is a small Irish-themed boutique dairy goat farm established in March 2006 by Paula Butler.  It is located in the middle of Tennessee, about 20 miles northeast of Nashville.  Together with her daughter, Jennifer, Paula manages a nationally recognized herd of Nubian dairy goats for show and milk production, as well as running a cheese making school and supply company.  Paula is currently the 3 time former President of the Volunteer State Goat Breeders Association and the current President and former Vice President for the International Nubian Breeders Association. In addition, she chaired and hosted the 2010 and 2014 American Dairy Goat Association National  Show Wine & Cheese event.  She remains on several American Dairy Goat Association committees, including the products committee and the national show committee.  She has also hosted two PBS cheese making segments and recently shot a demo for a cheese show with a major cooking/travel network. When she’s not teaching classes or packing ingredients for mail order, Paula enjoys spending time with her husband and children, her Labrador retrievers, goats and a glass of wine on the deck.

 “Cheese is milk’s leap toward immortality.”-  Clifton Fadiman 1904-1999