About our cheese

Cheese making

Old Chatham Sheepherding Company combines state-of-the-art facilities and old fashioned farming methods to nurture a healthy flock of 1200 East Fresian sheep without using artificial hormones or routine antibiotics. The sheep are fed grain and grass grown on our farm’s 600 acres of organically managed fields and pastures. This attention to detail and an impeccably clean creamery help Old Chatham Sheepherding Company owners Tom & Nancy Clark produce superior 100% natural Sheep Milk yogurt with active live cultures. Our yogurt has a creamy, rich taste and is packed with nutritional value.

Read Health Facts below. Enjoy our Plain, 100% Maple and new Ginger yogurt. Order On line!

Sheep’s Milk Yogurt Health Facts -

  1. Protein in sheep milk yogurt is double that of yogurt made with cow’s milk.
  2. Calcium content is 50% greater than cow’s milk yogurt without the danger of growth hormones
  3. Highest in B vitamin group, particularly B12, as well as vitamins A,C, D & E.
  4. Highest in niacin, riboflavin, iron, phosphorus and zinc.
  5. Has the lowest sugar content and is 1/3 lower in sodium when compared to leading yogurt brands.
  6. Calories in Old Chatham sheep milk full fat yogurt are similar to most low fat yogurts and Old Chatham yogurt has significantly fewer calories than full fat cow milk yogurt.
  7. For even fewer calories, spoon off the cream layer on the top.
  8. Old Chatham yogurt is gluten free
  9. Sheep milk is higher in total solids than cow or goat milk, giving it a natural, thick creamy texture.
  10. 100% natural the Old Chatham yogurt is made with only sheep milk and live, active cultures
  11. Does not contain gums, fiber, gelatin, pectin, powdered milk or stabilizers.
  12. No refined sugar, preservatives, artificial flavors or colors added
  13. Ideal addition to meatless or lacto-vegetarian diets
  14. Great as a cooking substitute for creams, butters and milks; does not break down at high temperatures (British Sheep Dairying Association) www.sheepdairying.co.uk/Milk.htm)
  15. Old Chatham customers unable to tolerate cow milk report they can eat sheep milk products.
  16. Contains live, active cultures, L. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus, L. acidophilus and Bifidus which promote healthy digestion.
  17. Live active cultures in the sheep milk yogurt also protect the intestinal tract, increasing resistance to immune related diseases and pathogens .(Simin Nikbin Meydani, Ph.D.in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Dr. Simin Meydani is Professor of Nutrition at Tufts School of Nutrition and Immunology at the Sackler Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University.)
  18. Sheep milk is 25% higher in medium chain triglycerides (MCT) and can provide energy without laying down fat.
  19. Fat in sheep milk contains stearic acid, a neutral saturated fat that doesn’t affect cholesterol or formation of plaque in the arteries. (www.foodscience.ac.nz/school_science/sheepmilk.html)
  20. Similar to olive oil, the fat in sheep milk is beneficial for health conditions including malabsorption syndromes, child epilepsy, cystic fibrosis, gallstones and coronary bypass.
  21. Studies also indicate that yogurt and dairy products high in calcium may reduce the risk of obesity. (New York Times, June 14, 1005 “All that Calcium and Maybe Weight Loss Too.” Jane E. Brody)
  22. According to new Japanese research (Tsurumi Univeristy) Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bugaricus, both in the Old Chatham yogurt, suppress by more than half, the levels of bad breath causing bacteria.
  23. There is nothing added. 100% pure sheep’s milk from healthy, nurtured animals grazing on the farm’s 600 organically managed pastures in the Old Chatham, located in the agriculturally rich Hudson Valley in New York.
  24. Milk from grass-fed animals is higher in the desirable omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acide (CLA).Studies report that the CLA in sheep’s milk may slow the growth of breast cancer tumors. (Jahreis, G. et al, The potential anticarcinogenic conjugated linoleic acid in milk of different species: cow, goat, ewe, sow, mare, woman.” Nutr Res 1999. 19:1541-9)
  25. Research suggests that eating yogurt containing L. acidophilus may decrease candidal colonization (yeast growth) and infection in women.(National Yogurt Association).
  26. OCSH yogurt has a shelf life of 7-8 weeks.
  27. OCSH artisanal sheep’s milk yogurt is hand-made by a small staff directly on the farm for meticulous quality control and assurance of food safety.
  28. Recent Research indicates that yogurt and dairy products high in calcium may reduce the risk of obesity (New York Times, June 14, 2005, “All That Calcium, and Maybe Weight Loss Too”. Jane E. Brody)

    *In gathering important health facts, The Old Chatham Sheepherding Company works with Professor David P. Brown, Senior Extension Associate and Food Scientist at Cornell University.

The facts speak for themselves…Per 100 grams of milk
Sheep milk compared to Cow and Goat milk
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Nutrition Information