Feed a goat, learn how the dairy works, and taste cheese on the slopes of Haleakalā. A Surfing Goat Dairy tour brings Maui’s agricultural side into focus, with plenty of personality along the way.
Goats, Cheese and Kula Farm Tips
Located in lower Kula, the farm pairs friendly animals with small-batch cheese and goat cheese truffles. Here’s what we loved about its character, plus the current details to check before you go.
Goat feeding during an earlier Surfing Goat Dairy visit. Photo: Natalie Brown Photography.
Photos by Natalie Brown Photography.
A Farm With a Playful History
Surfing Goat Dairy began with Thomas and Eva Kafsack, whose move from Germany to Maui proved to be a boon for cheese lovers. Their 42-acre property in lower Kula became known for goats, cheeses and the surfboards scattered around the grounds.
Rust-edged signs and surfboard fences underscored the farm’s quirky, irreverent nature in our original account. The boards weren’t there because the goats needed surf lessons. Eva had offered to take unwanted boards off surfers’ hands, giving them another life on the farm.
Ownership has changed since that earlier visit. Jay Garnett and business partner David Beck bought the dairy from the Kafsacks in October 2023. The farm’s own account describes a new chapter focused on the dairy operation and the visitor experience.
Choosing a Surfing Goat Dairy Tour
Tours begin with an introduction to the farm before guests meet the stars of the show. There’s nothing quite like a friendly goat eating straight from your hand. Follow your guide’s feeding instructions and let the animals set the pace.
The current Surfing Goat Dairy tour choices include:
- Daily Casual Tour: A roughly 30-minute introduction with goat feeding, a look at the dairy process, a fresh-cheese taste and a truffle.
- Evening Chore & Milking Tour: About 45 to 60 minutes, with a chance to try milking and learn about the farm’s evening routine.
- Baby Goat Interaction Experience: A seasonal option during kidding season, listed from early December through spring. Check availability for your dates.
- Golden Girl Experience: Time with the senior goats, offered for adults 18 and older.
Choose the experience that fits your group, rather than assuming every ticket includes milking or baby-goat time. Check the booking page for current prices, age requirements and exactly what’s included.
Pasture, milking area and young goats from an earlier farm visit. Photos: Natalie Brown Photography and our photo library.
From the Milking Area to the Cheese Counter
When the alfalfa is pau, the dairy side of the visit comes into focus. The milk becomes the cheeses that made this farm famous. Tours offer a way to connect those finished products with the animals and work behind them.
Our original visit highlighted creamy chèvre in flavors ranging from spicy Ole! to lavender-infused Purple Rain. Garden Fantasia brought herbs into the mix, while Men’s Challenge leaned into horseradish. Those names capture the variety that caught our attention, but use the current shop selection to choose what you’ll taste today.
A cheese flight is a good reason to pause after meeting the herd. Ask the staff about fresh and aged options, and whether a flight is included in your booking or purchased separately.
Scenes from our earlier Surfing Goat Dairy visit. Photos: Natalie Brown Photography.
Goat Cheese Truffles and a Shop Stop
While Surfing Goat Dairy may be famous for cheese, its gourmet goat cheese truffles give sweet-toothed visitors another reason to linger. Our earlier account described dark chocolate shells and rich fillings, with flavors that ranged from fruit to spiced rum.
Pick from what’s available when you visit. The combination of chocolate and goat cheese is part of the appeal, and a small treat makes an easy finish to a farm tour. You’ll also find goat milk bath products in the shop.
Planning Your Kula Farm Visit
The farm is at 3651 Omaopio Road, Kula. Its visitor FAQ currently lists Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Sunday and Monday closed. You can stop at the shop without a tour, but the farm recommends booking experiences online to secure your preferred time.
Wear shoes you’re comfortable walking in and bring sun protection for the open farm setting. Allow time to arrive before your tour starts, and ask the farm directly about any access or dietary needs before booking.
Looking for other stops to round out the day? Our Maui farm tours guide compares options around the island. This Surfing Goat Dairy tour guide focuses on the goats, cheese and choices at this particular Kula farm.
Some of Our Readers’ Thoughts
Selected comments from the original article. These reflect readers’ experiences at the time, rather than current offers or advice. Longer comments are excerpted below.
I went to Surfing Goat Dairy on my trip to Maui in November 2018. It was great fun and I bought one of the goat cheeses with a little kick! So very good! I had been introduced to goat cheese here where I live in North Carolina. Jalapeno is my favorite from Goat Lady Dairy in Climax, NC just outside of Greensboro.
Senda Atkinson, 2020-05-19
Best goat cheese.Whenever we get to Maui, Surfing Goat is our first place to shop. The Canada cheese is great!
Ruth, 2020-05-21
We’re a small group of full-time Maui residents that LOVE exploring and writing about what we think is the best place on Earth: The Island of Maui, Hawaii! Expect many more articles, reviews, photos and videos of Maui and all of the Hawaiian Islands. ALOHA!
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