Jose Sciarine was born in Cuba in 1955. His father came from a ranching family and was a mayor of a small town. When his father felt the impending pressure of Fidel Castro’s regime, he sent his wife and son to live on the old family farm in Northern Spain. San Cucao, Spain was a very small town of 115 people in the region of Astrias, near Spain’s northern coast. As an 8 year old boy, he loved this new home. He spent his time riding the family donkey bare back, spending plenty of time outdoors, and helping his uncle with work on the farm.
After a year, Jose and his mother moved to Chicago to be with family and friends from their hometown in Cuba. He attended Catholic school, received a football scholarship, joined the army, and later became an environmental attorney. Throughout all of this, he never forgot the time on his family farm as a kid.
Meanwhile, Katie was born and raised in Joliet, Illinois by an Irish mother and Northern Italian father who grew up across the street from each other. Her parents met in Catholic school, got married, and raised a family of 3 girls. They were independent and worked hard to earn everything they had. This included starting a successful restoration company. Katie remembers her father teaching her and her sister how to work hard and be independent.
Katie also had experiences on a farm growing up. Her mother’s family owned a farm in Manhattan, Illinois. She frequently visited for summer outdoor dinners. She fondly remembers climbing over the pig pen fence when the adults weren’t looking, learning quickly not to bother mother pigs.
In 2007, Jose and Katie Sciarine met on a blind date, set up by Sarah, Katie’s daughter. Years later, Jose, an environmental attorney for the EPA, and Katie, a Chicago Public School teacher, were approaching retirement age and grew tired of their jobs in the public sector. Seeking a change in direction, the couple would then make a life changing decision. With their respective memories of living and working on farms, Jose and Katie both agreed that farm life was a healthy way to retire. Plenty of work to keep them young, fresh air, and small town living seemed idealic to the couple.
In 2016, Katie and Jose took a leap of faith and pulled up roots from Illinois. A specific property in Virginia had caught their eye. Their offer was accepted and the couple was ecstatic. They packed up their condo belongings and moved to the old Simmon’s Family Farm. The farm is located in beautiful Willis; it featured an 1880’s farm house, barn, pond, and three natural springs. Once settled in, they were moved by the lush natural beauty of Floyd. Being close in proximity to the Blue Ridge Parkway, the couple was drawn into the untouched way of life. The large artist community, Appalachian Folk Music Center, farming community, and entrepreneurial spirit all contributed to the couple’s love of the county.
A lot of hard work and patience followed as they restored the old farm house room by room with the help of a family friend, Jesus Sabater. At the same time, Jose went to work researching goats and cheese making. Jose decided that their farm would focus on artisan, european cheese making. Jose traveled to Vermont to take natural cheese making classes with Ivan Larcher at Sterling College and with Peter Dixon of Parish Hill Creamery. After learning the cheese making process and sketching out plans for a creamery, Jose returned home and began construction on the creamery next to the old barn. It was small, but within budget. Their vision had become clear for the farm. They wanted to restore the old American farm into a present day working farm.
Monte Verde Farm’s identity revolves around goats and artisan cheese. It couldn’t have one without the other. Over the past 8 years their goat herd has been carefully bred and grown, producing goats with high quality fat and milk production. The couple is proud of the knowledge that their farm is unique. Small farms that raise goats, milk goats daily, and make cheese by hand are extremely rare in America. Most cheeses in the United States are manufactured in large quantities with cheap, highly processed milk.
Their farm in Willis is at a relatively high elevation of 2,800 ft. Because of this, grasses grown there are high in Polyphenol, an antioxidant compound found in plants that counteract inflammation and the aging process. This adds to the health benefits of goat cheese as well as contributing to a different flavor. It is lower in lactose than cow milk and is naturally low in calories, carbohydrates, cholesterol, fat, and salt. It is also rich in many vitamins and minerals.
The farm makes three cheeses. Chèvre, which means “goat” in French, a fresh spreadable goat cheese which is often flavored. Their Chèvre features two flavors, Garlic and Herb, and Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic. Their “Blooming Goat” cheese is similar to the French cheese, ‘Crottin de Chavignol’, from the small 200 person town of Chavignol, in the Loir Valley of France. They also have “Blooming Black Goat”, rolled in a French black vegetable ash. It is an old French recipe similar to Valencay cheese from the Berry Provence of central France. It is traditionally in a pyramid form, but theirs is in a small tubular form. All of their cheeses are delicious, featuring old world recipes making them rich and buttery.
The farm has more than goats. When Jose’s father visited the farm, he bought for his son two cows and a bull because they had cattle on the family ranch in Cuba. Being of Spanish descent, where the pig is virtually a sacred animal, Jose also added Mangalitza pigs. Known as “The hairy pig”, this “Kobe of the pork world” is a heritage breed of pig that is allowed to forage through the farm woods producing deliciously flavored meat. 2023 would see the opening of a Farm Store and an addition to the creamery.
Jose and Katie’s journey started with a simple decision to make an offer on a piece of property, but together with faith, hard work, and the help of Jesus Sabater, they restored an old farm into a beautiful farm. After moving to Floyd and discovering how special the people of Floyd were, the couple wanted to build something which would complement the Floydian entrepreneurial spirit.
In the future they look forward to providing cheese tastings, visits to the farm, and facilitating a growing farm store for the community. The Monte Verde Farm Store in Willis features farm raised, pasture fed, USDA processed beef, pork, lamb, and artisan cheese. The store also has homemade goat milk caramels, beeswax candles, and soaps made from goat’s milk and olive oil. Katie and Jose are always grateful for their customers and look forward to seeing new and returning faces in their store.
Monte Verde Farm & Creamery Jose De Leon & Katie Sciarine www.MonteVerdeFarm.com • 312-659-2635
5793 Floyd Highway South, Willis, VA