Karoo sheep farm survives drought with beer and cheese

According to Peter and Francy Schoeman of Langbaken Karoo Cheese, their cheese business has enabled them to survive the prolonged drought in the area. They spoke to Wouter Kriel about how they developed their sheep farm into a cheese operation.

- Wouter Kriel

FAST FACTS

Peter and Francy Schoeman farm on Langbaken, 37km outside of Williston in the Karoo.

They started Langbaken Karoo Cheese in 2010, and it has since become a vital part of their business, helping them survive the drought that has afflicted their area since 2015.

The cheese business has opened up further diversification possibilities, such as tourism and craft beer.

Peter Schoeman’s family, the Van Schalkwyks on his mother’s side, has been farming sheep in the Williston area of the Northern Cape since the 1890s. Peter and Francy, however, share an interest in dairy. “We met in Greyton in the Western Cape, where Peter was working on a dairy farm and I was dabbling in cheesemaking on the nearby farm where I worked,” Francy recalls.

They relocated to the Schoeman family farm near Williston in 2010, and started Langbaken Karoo Cheese soon thereafter.

“Langbaken was an extensive sheep farm, but the [cows’] cheese proved popular and there was strong demand for it, so we made it a serious subdivision of our farming business,” she says.

When Farmer’s Weekly first visited Francy and Peter in 2012, the couple had only just started making cheese, and little did they know at the time that this small business would become their saving grace during a six-year drought.