Goats and Thanksgiving aren’t normally synonymous, but bearded Billys popped up over turkey topics at our table last weekend. Here’s why.

While quaffing Kelowna wines at the Annual Okanagan Fall Wine Festival last week, I was asked if I’d tasted goat gelato. My senses conjured up the unappealing ‘goaty’ milk produced by Buttercup and Dandelion, two pet goats from my Scottish childhood.

But goat gelato? Never! My curiosity was peaked.

Carmelis Goat Cheese Artisan turned out to be 12 scenic kilometres from Kelowna near Okanagan Mountain Park - just down the road from Summerhill, St.Hubertus, and CedarCreek Wineries.

A mural depicting a man, a woman, two girls and … a wheelchair, caught my attention while I greeted the goats in immaculate barns overlooking the sunny picture-perfect hills and lake view.

Over assorted tastings of refreshing, creamy (completely un-goaty) gelato, and discussions about the merits of goatgonzola, and other intriguing cheeses, a unique tale was told.

Sixteen years ago the birth of Ofri and Ofer Barmor’s lactose intolerant oldest daughter, Carmel, prompted the couple to go into the goat farming and goat cheese-making business. Unlike cow’s milk, lactose intolerant people have no trouble digesting goat milk. In addition, according to Science Daily, research indicates that “goats' milk could help prevent diseases such as anaemia and bone demineralization”. It has also been found to help with the digestive and metabolic utilization of minerals such as iron, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium.

Twelve years ago a near fatal car accident confined Ofer to a wheelchair, and seriously injured his wife. Undeterred the couple soldiered on.

After an Okanagan ski and wine tasting holiday in March 2003, the family decided to immigrate to Canada.

During the holiday they had noticed a distinct lack of local specialty cheeses – particularly goat products.

“What goes better with wine than cheese?” Ofri laughs, while explaining that she and Ofre were sure farmland blessed with stunning views at the end of the wine trail would suit the family perfectly. “What goes better with wine than cheese?” Ofri chuckled as she told their story.

Construction began on the new family dairy and cheese shop in May, 2003. By August their dream business overlooking Okanagan Lake was almost complete – when Okanagan Mountain wildfires tore across from Naramata to threaten their new buildings.

Anxious neighbours persuaded the couple to abandon their property for the sake of safety.

Desperately Ofre appealed on local radio for help to house their new herd of 90 goats.

Within hours vehicles were lined up to re-locate the Barmor animals to the safety of a Kelowna llama farm.

Although their home barely survived, the dairy and outbuildings were reduced to ashes.

With typical determination, the family buckled down to rebuilding.

In the spring of 2004, Carmelis (a blending of the names of their daughters Carmel, 16, and Lior, 14) finally opened for business.

The challenge then became the need to persuade a skeptical public that goat gelato, and artisan goat cheeses, were just what they’d been missing.

Now, more than 120 goats roam the hills waiting to make friends with touring families and children. Visitors are surprised at the wide selection of soft and hard cheeses available, and dairy tours (with cheese tasting included) are available for a nominal fee.

All Carmelis cheeses start as raw milk which is, by law, pasteurized, except for cheeses scheduled to be aged for more than 60 days. Raw milk is used for the hard cheeses that go through an aging process of at least four months.

This heart-warming Canadian-Israeli tale reminded me to count my blessings, and not get – excuse the expression -cheesed off so easily.

If you go: Carmelis Goat Cheese Artisan is located at 170 Timberline Road, Kelowna about six kilometres south of the Lakeshore/Chute Lake Road intersection. On-line: http://www.carmelisgoatcheese.com By phone: 250-870-3117.