Hand Crafted, Hand Craved: Annie's Goat Hill
Have you heard of Annie's Goat Hill? If you haven't, your hands (and your heart) are missing out! I have been following the Annie's Goat Hill Hand Crafted Soaps blog (www.anniesgoathill.wordpress.com) for some time now, and was elated when the first shipment of goat milk lotions arrived at the FOLK Store. Her products are not only amazing, each new blog post warms your heart!
The owner, Mary Humphrey of Hillsboro, OH, started Annie's Goat Hill as a combination of her life-long passions. She has always loved soap making and playing with fragrances. Then of course, there is the love of goats. Mary raises a herd of dairy and boer goats. The dairy aspect of farming is one of her favorites.
In my opinion, this is what makes Annie's Goat Hill products so alluring. Mary Cares. An excerpt from her blog on July 30th, 2011 reads:
"Each season the decision is made when to stop milking the goats. My business depends upon fresh goat milk, a very obvious fact.
I could purchase milk at the grocery, or in cans, or in the powdered form. But our products contain our milk, produced from our goats, milked by me. That is who we are! I know what goes into the goat’s mouth, therefore, I know what does not end up in the milk. Nothing else will do.
So, to give the “girls” (does) that are “in milk” (currently being milked) a break before they “freshen” (give birth), I make the seasonal decision to remove them from the milk stand. The decision involves looking at the calendar and the freezer contents for a count, and sometimes even a second look. I will admit, there are moments that some would consider nail-biting. Cutting the cord to fresh milk, take a deep breath!
Happily, both freezers are spilling over with frozen goat milk. We can take a rest now girls. I love you."
She loves her "girls." Simply put. "Our animals are such blessings. Taking the time to care for them, and soaking in the quiet, really does bring on some healthy reflection time."Mary milks twice a day, pasteurizes once or twice a day depending on season and volume of milk she collects, and puts the milk to good use. On her farm they drink the milk themselves, make cheese for personal use, and churn out bars and bottles of soaps and lotions that I have fallen in love with!
Mary's soaps and lotions are made in small batches. This allows her to monitor the quality of each batch and ensure all products meet her standards. Standards that you will soon learn to love; standards that are not found in your normal bottle of supermarket lotion.
Mary uses fresh, high quality ingredients. As mentioned in her blog excerpt above, her products contain her milk, produced by her goats, milked by her.
Then of course there's the kicker, Mary began Annie’s Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps as a soap maker with no thoughts of lotion-making. After considering the thought for quite some time, she decided to attempt a simple lotion formula. Her Goat Milk Lotion is now a huge success and one of my personal favorites (particularly the Moroccan Dreams scent).
Mary's lotions are truly one of a kind. I use her lotion myself and have yet to find a lotion more skin soothing than her formula. I personally gifted 3 bottles this Christmas and plan to gift much more throughout the year for birthdays and such. When I purchase a product I place a lot of thought into where the product came from, how and where it was made, and who made it. Annie's Goat Hill allows me the opportunity to fully trust in the fact that I will receive a high quality product.
What touches me the most is that Mary cares not only about her "girls," but about each and every one of customers on a personal level. When you purchase an Annie's Goat Hill Product you aren't just a customer, you're a friend. Mary cares.
A very touching blog post of Mary's reads: "See, life gets tough, business gets tough. It all gets tough. But there are moments, and I treasure them, that simply are not irreplaceable. The customers that cannot decide which soaps to order, the customers that consistently send emails to me, “Throw in what you like. I love it all.” Those are the times I absolutely cherish, and realize that, my personal dream, what I have put into this business (hours and a lot of hard work), and what I get back (I cannot do this alone – it is you that makes it happen), is what REALLY COUNTS!"
Mary cares. If you haven't tried Annie's Goat Hill, we carry her line of Goat Milk Lotions in the FOLK Store. You should try some, today! I promise, you really will love it!
at orders.folk@gmail.com
Please inquire about available scents. (I recommend Moroccan Dreams!)
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