In Valmiera region, Alise Zariņa runs a goat farm on the banks of the Ruja

In the Kēņi parish of Valmiera Municipality, on a bend of the Ruja river, Alise Zariņa has set up her organic farm called Pilsgravas. There she keeps 30 goats and uses their milk to make a variety of cheeses.

Zariņa's cheeses have been recognized at the Novada garša competition, where they were awarded medals. Besides cheesemaking, she also takes part in a Latvian Fund for Nature project called "Product of Natural Meadows," and she makes ice cream from goat milk as well.

Organic farming by the Ruja

The Pilsgravas farm is located in the Kēņi parish, part of Valmiera Municipality. Its location was chosen for the proximity of the Ruja river, near which the farmland lies. The herd of goats provides the milk that Zariņa turns into several kinds of cheese, as well as ice cream.

Participation in the Latvian Fund for Nature's project on natural-meadow products indicates that the farm follows an environmentally friendly approach close to nature, using natural meadows to graze the goats.

The farm's products have also gained wider recognition — at the Novada garša competition, which gathers and evaluates food products from local producers, Zariņa's cheeses received medals.