Blazing Bear baa-lances goats, visitors, retail

Judith Munson

Contributor

September 21, 2026

PESHTIGO – Blazing Bear Homestead in Peshtigo has unveiled a new name to showcase its main attraction: Nigerian Dwarf and Mini Nubian dairy goats.

The Peshtigo micro dairy farm is now known as Blazing Bear Dairy Goats & Soap Co.

Owner Casi Lark said she knew shortly after the farm’s first goats arrived a few years ago that they were going to take top billing.

“When we bought the place in Peshtigo in 2020 and started our business, we went with Blazing Bear Homestead because we hadn’t really narrowed it down to one avenue of focus,” she said. “We were doing a bunch of different things, like different crafts, [and] we had chickens and geese.”

After she added goats to the mix, Lark said she made the executive decision to make them the focus. 

“Goats are just so much fun,” she laughed. “I love them so much, and I’ve always been an animal lover. They’re like my children now.”

Lark said she and her husband, Nick Jamie, also decided to change the name, as making soaps and lotions from the goat milk “is what we do now.”

She said the Blazing Bear part of the name was inspired by the infamous Peshtigo Fire that swept through the area in 1871, and the local population of black bears “that wander through the property on occasion.”

Lark said the farm also sells kids – the goat kind – during the spring and summer. 

“We strive to improve our herd via selective breeding for beautiful goats that are also great milk producers and wonderful pets,” she said. “People can visit the herd of 18 goats every Saturday through Oct. 24 during the farm’s Goats & Gourds events. Visitors can pet and feed the goats and paint a gourd or mini pumpkin while enjoying complimentary hot cider and popcorn.”

Lark said tickets are available on the farm’s website for $8, and advance registration is required.

She said Blazing Bear also hosts baby goat cuddle sessions in the spring.

Growing up on a hobby farm, Lark said she loved her life surrounded by animals, gardening and canning. 

“I had horses my whole life,” she said. “My husband is from Chicago and is just absolutely a city boy, but we opted for country living and moved from Green Bay when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.”

Lark said COVID was the catalyst for the move “up north.”

“We always knew we were going to be happier if we could get out of the city and into the country and be a little more self-sufficient,” she said. “COVID was the catalyst to us saying, ‘Okay, we’re doing this now,’ instead of it just being some dream down the road.”

Although adorable, Lark said goats are notorious for trouble-making, recalling how her parents decided they could no longer keep goats on their farm when she was little.

“I remember it vividly,” she said. “I was like, ‘Why’d you get rid of the goats?’ My parents said it was just too stressful – because they were always trying to die, escape or destroy. That’s why when people come over and ask if we have any other animals, I say, ‘Well, no, not anymore.’ The goats need all our attention.”

Goat milk soap 

Much of the time, Lark said she has to milk all 18 goats one after the other twice a day. 

As a self-described “crafty person,” she said she began experimenting with making goat milk-based soaps and lotions, rather than opting to sell the goat milk.

“We had done some research on the legalities of selling milk, and because we’re so small, it’s just not worth it for us to try and get licensed for selling milk,” Lark said. “Once I started making the soaps and lotions with the milk, I just kept working on it until it was really good – until I was really happy with my formulas. People love it.”

The lotions, Lark said, are particularly popular due to their authentic, rich formulation, which soaks deeply into the skin and isn’t greasy. 

“My claim to fame with our formulas is that they are made with 100% fresh goat milk from our herd,” she said. “A lot of times, when you buy goat milk soap or lotion, like at a bigger store or even from other small makers, it is just a normal soap recipe. They just added a splash of goat milk or a little bit of goat milk powder for label appeal.”

Lark said she sells Blazing Bear’s products online and at farmers’ markets and craft fairs, with Goat Fest in Jefferson serving as their biggest seller to date. 

She said she also sells items at The Shop on Main in Oconto.

“When we’re out selling at markets, we have testers so people can try it,” she said. “Most people, if they stop and try it, will buy it.”

Other products, Lark said, include body sprays that match some of their more popular fragrances, as well as her Peshtigo Pine Tar Soap and Lip Balm line.

“I wanted to have a plant-based option,” she said. 

Future expansion?

Eventually, Lark said they would like to buy a bigger farm and expand operations, production and possibly their event schedule. 

“We haven’t done any goat yoga, but I would totally do it – it’s my goal next,” she said. “I’d also like to get into maybe three to four other retail places locally and slowly work up to bigger wholesale accounts.”

If they are able to relocate someday to a larger property with more production capacity, Lark said she would love to hire some goat-loving folks and contribute to the local economy that way.

“That has been a dream of mine to be able to hire other people and provide them with a living wage,” she said. 

For now, Lark said Blazing Bear’s production is close to home – or rather, in the home. 

“I make all our stuff in our kitchen,” she said. “And now, we’ve started putting up shelving for curing racks and ingredient storage in the living room. So, the furniture keeps slowly getting moved out of the living room to make more room.”

Lark said they completely transformed their detached garage into the goat barn. 

“Half of it’s full of hay,” she said. “Another area is where we do our baby goat cuddle sessions in the spring, and another part is a birthing area for when the babies are born. The goats all have their own shelters in their pens outside so they can climb on the roof of their shelters – they love that.”

For more information about Blazing Bear Dairy Goats & Soap Co., its products or the Goats & Gourds event going on right now, visit blazingbearhomestead.net.