Yoghurt and Cheese and Soap – Oh My!
Welcome to the third in a series of blogs where I am introducing you to local PEI farmers with whom I have the privilege to collaborate on various projects!
Meet Gabriel and Deidre Mercier, a young couple who, as their military careers were nearing completion, wanted to move to a rural location closer to family and start a family of their own. Gabriel was raised in Quebec where his grandfather, Patrick Mercier, was a master award-winning cheese maker. Deidre grew up on a mixed farm just outside of North Rustico, PEI. Wanting to create their own business, they decided to follow in Patrick Mercier’s footsteps and become cheese makers! Gab took a cheese making course and then apprenticed at a sheep dairy and cheese house in Quebec, learning as much as possible about both cheese making and sheep farming. They moved home to the Doiron farm where Deidre was raised. On February 1, 2015, 108 ewes (all pregnant) and 2 rams arrived and Ferme Isle St Jean was born!
Meet Gabriel and Deidre Mercier, a young couple who, as their military careers were nearing completion, wanted to move to a rural location closer to family and start a family of their own. Gabriel was raised in Quebec where his grandfather, Patrick Mercier, was a master award-winning cheese maker. Deidre grew up on a mixed farm just outside of North Rustico, PEI. Wanting to create their own business, they decided to follow in Patrick Mercier’s footsteps and become cheese makers! Gab took a cheese making course and then apprenticed at a sheep dairy and cheese house in Quebec, learning as much as possible about both cheese making and sheep farming. They moved home to the Doiron farm where Deidre was raised. On February 1, 2015, 108 ewes (all pregnant) and 2 rams arrived and Ferme Isle St Jean was born!
I started collaborating with Ferme Isle St Jean in early spring of 2017 to develop our “Looms, Lambs & Lobster” experience. Guests first visit Knit Pickers PEI where they participate in a 2-hour loom-knitting workshop and they take home a made-in-PEI wooden knitting loom.
Following the workshop, we head over to Ferme Isle St Jean where the guests sample some delicious sheep’s milk cheese and yoghurt and learn a little about farm life. The experience all wraps up with a delicious lobtster salad or lobster sandwich at Captain’s Cove Café in North Rustico.
Ferme Isle St Jean also provides us the milk to create our Ewe Love line of sheep’s milk soap which is made in collaboration with South Shore Soaps! Sheep’s milk is higher in fat and protein than goat’s or cow’s milk, and is loaded with vitamins and minerals. What makes the cheese and yoghurt so rich, sweet and creamy is also what make it so wonderful for your skin!
At Ferme Isle St Jean, their focus has always been on creating the highest quality sheep’s milk cheese and yoghurt. To do that, you need high quality milk. That is why they were caring for their own flock of sheep. In 2018, they partnered with a local Amish family. While Ferme Isle St Jean will be raising some lambs on their property, the milking of the sheep will take place on the Amish farm. This will allow Gab and Deidre more time to create and market new cheeses!
Another big change is in the works for Ferme Isle St. Jean. Their goal is to have a full cheese-processing facility right on their farm, including aging rooms for some of their artisanal cheeses. These facilities would also be available for use by other small Island dairy farms. They hope to “help diversify PEI one dairy farm at a time”.
Keep your eyes on this amazing farm with some pretty big dreams and goals!
Check out our earlier blog posts on some of the other farms with whom we work!
Blomidon Farm
Fleece and Harmony/Harmony Meadow Farm
Another big change is in the works for Ferme Isle St. Jean. Their goal is to have a full cheese-processing facility right on their farm, including aging rooms for some of their artisanal cheeses. These facilities would also be available for use by other small Island dairy farms. They hope to “help diversify PEI one dairy farm at a time”.
Keep your eyes on this amazing farm with some pretty big dreams and goals!
Check out our earlier blog posts on some of the other farms with whom we work!
Blomidon Farm
Fleece and Harmony/Harmony Meadow Farm
Happy knitting!
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