YOU GUYS. There is a goat farm in Maui… and the goats know how to surf.

OK, so maybe the goats don’t actually know how to surf. But I’m sure they could learn. Don’t they look smart?

We had eaten some Surfing Goat cheese the last time we were in Maui, and Isabel and I had an appetizer with Surfing Goat cheese in San Diego about a week before this vacation. I had some more on a salad I ate our first night there, and when we said something to the waitress about how good it was, she told us we could visit the dairy… and feed the goats.

Obviously I was in. Luckily, the tour also includes sampling several kinds of goat cheese, so Toby was willing to go along, too.

Surfing Goat Dairy is “upcountry,” which means it’s on the slopes of Haleakala. I thought that meant it might be cooler than other parts of the island, but it turns out the dairy is in an area with a desert-like climate. A German couple bought and opened the farm more than 12 years ago as a way to get the kind of delicious goat cheese they were used to at home. The operation grew, the cheese started winning awards, and they now supply goat cheese to restaurants and resorts all over Hawaii (and even a few in California).

You don’t need a reservation for the short casual tours, which run every 30 minutes. During the tour, you get to see (and feed) tons of goats, learn about the history of the place, see where they milk the goats and make the cheese, meet the pimp daddy goat…

And then taste several types of goat cheese, to help you decide which kinds to buy.

You can also eat lunch there, or get a cheese plate, but you’ll need to bring your own wine.

One more awesome thing about Surfing Goat Dairy is that the owners are super into recycling — so much so that when the woman saw some surfers throwing away old surf boards (the dairy is close to the dump), she asked them to give them to her instead. They began exchanging goat cheese for worn-out surfboards, then used the surfboards to decorate the farm and visitor’s area. Cute goats, delicious goat cheese and recycling. Can it get any better?