Farmer And Dairyman

Ben SIppel, the founder of Sippel Family Farm and Kokoborrego Cheese passed away in July of 2020 after a long battle with Melanoma. Ben had real passion for farming and forged a path at the young age of 23 to purchase the farm right out of college ( Ohio Wesleyan University ).  He and his wife Lisa had a very successful CSA program, growing more than 30 acres of produce for more than 250 families for many years. He tended the farm daily and manned the tent at the Clintonville Farmers Market, one of the first vendors in the first year of that market! Adding the Sheep dairy in 2011 was a dream for him, he wanted a more shelf stable product that could be sold year round.  For the first 9 years of Kokoborrego Cheese,  Ben milked the flock of sheep twice a day while growing and delivering produce in between.  Once it was clear that he would no longer be able to milk, he made the difficult decision to sell the milking flock to a neighboring farm.

We at Kokoborrego, his wife, children, and brother in law Ben, have a mission to continue his dream and maintain ownership of both Sippel Family Farm and Kokoborrego Cheese. It is our hope that one day either Charlie or Miriam will follow in his footsteps and carve their own path into farming.