Rancho Caprache is a project that began in 2016 with the breeding of goats and is located in Hatillo, Azua. Its main objective was to rescue the dairy genetics, but over time it has become an attraction for tourism in the Dominican Republic, where children and their parents, on a guided tour, can have direct contact with such animals.
The experience is very rewarding for the little ones and adults. There they can feed the small goats that are bottle-fed with milk and learn about the process of raising them.
Breathing fresh air and having direct contact with nature are part of the tourist attraction. The ranch processes the milk and makes goat cheese of different varieties, including feta, cream cheese, chevre and cream cheese, as well as dulce de leche.
Rancho Caprache uses a barn system, where the goats are pregnant for five months and after they give birth, the kids stay with their mother for the first five days and then go to a place where they are fed powdered milk.
Daniel Costache and his wife, Nieves Segura, have owned Caprache for four years and are looking to change the way people know goats.
Costache, a Romanian national, brought the idea for the project because he had a dairy sheep farm in his country. He is the third generation of master cheese artisans, together with his father and grandfather. He already had the practice and what better to do in the country where he decided to reside, to do the same thing he did in his country.
They started the project with a total of 45 goats that they looked for in different parts of the country. They currently have more than 180 goats and produce between 1.5 and 1.8 liters of milk per day in two milkings, one in the morning and one at night.
On this beautiful and productive farm, the goats live in a controlled environment, with great emphasis on hygiene and sanitary control. Along with the goats are the French Alpine breeds, the only goat that has raised ears and can have a number of colors and combinations that give them distinction.
Thanks to the combination of these breeds, the milk is made in a different and special way which allows and gives the cheese an excellent flavor and a very pleasant texture.
The tourist space opens from 9:30 in the morning and the general public can enjoy this place at no cost by making a reservation through their Instagram page Capracherd.
