At Fairview, we’re all celebrating, as our farm is always a hub of activity, thanks to our beloved animals that rule the roost, paddocks, barns and towers. We have plenty of fun and quirky critters abound, and one of our favourite stories has to be the tale of Toby the Goat and Inkhuku the Ostrich. Have you heard it?
From the start, Toby was different. Born 30th June 2014, Tobias do Roam aka Toby came into the world with an immediate identity crisis and unusual brown and black markings, making him stand out from the crowd. So much so that his initial owners mistook him for a little lamb, and sold him onto Fairview’s farm manager, Donald Mouton, who would come to be Toby’s much loved, adopted dad.
Upon arrival at the Fairview barn, Toby was immediately kidnapped, but not the type you’re thinking of. In goat culture, the nanny goats, being particularly maternal, all vied to mother young Toby, and eventually a few lucky nanny’s ‘kidnapped’ the kid goat and raised him to be one of them. Or so they thought …
From the start, Toby showed extreme independence – with a capricious nature in his DNA, unafraid of climbing and always looking for new opportunities, he soon grew out of his sweet kid years and became a somewhat rebellious teen, sneaking out of the barn at night and spending his time with the rabble-rouser Inkhuku the ostrich, a long-standing resident of the farm who shared Toby’s species confusion, as she was raised by chickens. Perhaps bonding over their similarities or simply becoming the best of friends, to this day, you’re likely to spot Toby and Inkhuku roaming the Fairview grassy paths like infantry.
Growing into a charming adult goat, Toby proceeded to jump the barn walls (with complete ease, as the walls are low and goats are built to climb) on a regular basis. His favourite activity was to roam the vineyards, hunting for his favourite thing – perfectly ripe grapes from some of our Mediterranean vines. To the delight and surprise of our winemakers, Toby had a real knack for isolating some of the finest blocks of the vineyards where only the best berries grew, and soon enough, he persuaded a few more goats to roam the farm with him. Toby’s unusual, quirky sense of adventure served as the inspiration for our Goats Do Roam range, which sprouted in 2000, and has come to be the best selling South African wine brand abroad.
Today, Toby enjoys spending his time being official ‘cheese taster’ at the cheese factory and of course, mowing the lawn.
Our Goats Do Roam range is available on our online shop.