Life and Work with Amanda Adare

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Adare.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have worked in the non-profit management space for most of my carrier. Prior to farming, I was running an organization working with small dairy farms in Nicaragua and Kenya. It was in consulting farmers that I became inspired to start farming myself. Once I became pregnant with my daughter and no longer able to manage extensive travel, my husband and I made plans to leave Boulder and farm. We found the perfect location in South West Longmont. My husband continued to work in the tech field while I focus on regenerative agricultural through rotational animal grazing techniques. I was raised in NYC, so farming was quite an exciting and new endeavor. We got a small herd of milking goats and I found cheesemaking wasn’t going to develop into a passion. I bought goat milk caramel sauce from a few other farms in the US and realized the batches I made at home tasted so much better, and so it began.

In the winter of 2018, I began to learn. It has the benefit of being easily digested by individuals who cannot consume cow dairy while the high cream content made this deliciously rich sauce. Allowing the sauce to simmer for 4+ hours, we’re able to avoid flavor extracts and use only whole ingredients such as whole vanilla beans and whole cinnamon sticks. We sent it to friends and family and found about one in five of our friends hadn’t enjoyed caramel for years because it was always made of cow milk, and now they could! Our goats have inspired the flavoring.

We have seen great success at Farmer’s Markets and in stores. Due to the high infrastructure cost to building a Grade A Dairy on our property we have partnered with a local vendor at the Longmont Farmers Market, MiniMoo and Kids Too. We have reduced our herd from 17 to 6 goats in 2020 to focus on reseeding pastures and growing the next 2-3 inches of topsoil. Should we see continued success with our caramel, we will begin building our own Dairy facility in 2021. In addition to our beautiful Nubian Goat herd, we have a guardian Llama Tazo and over 50 laying hens, ducks and turkeys. Each animal on our farm plays an integral part in restoring our soil and our three years old is eager for the day when we add piglets to our plans.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
We have had a relatively smooth journey to getting our caramel sauce from idea stage to larger-scale production. Some of this ease is due to the fact that it is all artisanal and hand made, so we can keep a close eye on how it is boiling. However, standing over a boiling pot of caramel for 4 hours is a long process and we are limited in how much we can produce in a given time.

We are still experiencing some learning curves to producing a unified texture in every batch and as we are looking to grow to local grocers we have come to find that educating people on the many uses of caramel is a real obstacle. Once people try it and learn how versatile it is, they’re hooked. We are working on our marketing and how to get the word out to more people that this is a delicious cooking tool that can be used in many ways.

My advice for anyone, especially young women, is to go for what you want and never stop until you get it. There are times when we question if others will want what we are passionate about, but you will never know unless you try. Never fear to put yourself out there. I believe everyone has an internal gift they’re meant to share, and if we keep it hidden the world will be missing something because of it. And yes, we just make a caramel sauce, but it is an integral part of making our farm financially self-sustainable. That is a very hard goal to achieve in today’s world of big ag and large scale production. We make a sweet tasty treat which seems more likely for women to be interested in, but we encourage both men and women to try our products and it’s usually is the men who instigate the purchase.

I was taught since I was 8 to always go for what you want, and never stop until you get it and always be honest. I have stuck closely to that truth and encourage everyone to do the same.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Table Mountain Farm – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Our Goat Milk Caramel Sauce is goat’s milk slowly cooked for 3-4 hours with whole ingredients. It is a great opportunity for individuals who cannot consume cow milk to enjoy a caramel sauce. We are very proud of our flavor. Most goat’s milk is described as gamey but our milk is made from a special goat that is known for its high butterfat content and doesn’t have that gamey flavor. Our long cook time provides time for whole ingredients to steep in the milk and impart a flavor that is (in our view) perfection. The goat’s milk also has the fats combined with the liquid (naturally homogenized) and this allows us to use less sugar and creates a much creamier texture. It truly is unique and unlike any other sauce I’ve had.

We believe it is our milk, flavor and artisanal focus which sets our caramel so far apart from anything else on the market.

What advice would you give to someone at the start of her career?
I have said this before, but belief and honesty are the most important parts to success. Belief in yourself, in what you are doing, and what you are a part of as it builds your confidence. Being honest with yourself, honest with your customers and honest with your employees will keep your compass directed North and keeps you accountable to yourself, your customers and your staff. It seems difficult to be able to pursue what you’re truly passionate about when there are bills to pay and adult responsibilities. However you can, if it is after work or on the weekends, go for what you want. Never stop until you get it.

Contact Info:

• Address: 8181 N 41st Street
  Longmont, CO 80503
• Website: tablemountainfarm.com
• Phone: 3037462820
• Email: info@tablemountainfarm.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tablemtnfarm/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TableMountainFarm/

Image Credit:
Amanda Adare

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