The Freckled Farm Soap Company

Tag: The Freckled Farm Soap Company

  • What’s Up Wednesday – Jan 21st

    The last two weeks since Kevin left his “day job” have been an adjustment. For the last two years we have lived in survival mode. Kevin was pulling in at least 60 hours a week at work and every other second of the day was stacked with things that needed to be done for the businesses and farm. Late nights and extremely early mornings were how we lived. Now that the 60 hours of work outside of our businesses are gone we are trying to figure out what our new schedule looks like. We no longer have to live with the mindset that if we have a second it needs to be filled with something because who knows how much time we are going to have later. We are working on balancing everything and actually giving ourselves time to just relax… what a concept. I have actually had to set myself a set of tasks that need to be completed that day, and once I am done I am allowed to relax. Otherwise I will just move on to one of other five hundred tasks on my to do list…

    One of our big projects this week is working on our new goat milk soap laundry detergent. We are officially in the research and development phase! So far so good! We plan to sell them in three sizes; a nice large reusable glass container with a wooden scoop, refill bags, and finally a sample size for 2-4 washes. We are currently planning on 4 scents; Sunrise Citrus, Lavender, Tea Tree (for strong odors caused by bacteria – body odor and stinky socks), and Unscented. Look for these detergents to join our market booths and website in the late winter or early spring.

    We do have a little bit of sad news from this week. We lost one of our free ranging chickens to a hawk. Her name was Sophia and she was one of our original chickens. In fact she gave us our very first egg! We retired to her to the pasture last spring where she, and several of her sisters, had the run of both pastures and the barn. We knew this was a possibility. Chickens are very vulnerable to predators, especially when they are free ranging, but that doesn’t make it any easier when it happens. I am extremely tender-hearted and we love our animals. In the meantime we have moved the few other free rangers into the big closed coop until we can figure out a safer option for them. Our fear is now that the hawk knows where the food is he will just keep coming back.

    Check back next week for even more updates!! There is so much in the works!

     

  • 2014 in Review

    Oh my goodness it has been an amazing year. I am so proud of what we have accomplished with both of our businesses and I am incredibly grateful for our wonderful, loyal customers, who allow my husband and I to work together, build this farm, and live our dream. I cannot wait to see what 2015 has in store for us as we start our journey of both Kevin and I putting a full time effort into both of our businesses… It’s certainly going to be an adventure.

    Stand out moments of 2014

    • Baby Goats! – I think baby goats will still be one of the top highlights of the year decades from now. Watching these precious little creatures come into the world is nothing short of amazing, and getting to watch as their personalities develop is such a treat. I can’t image it will ever grow old! We had 4 beautiful little babies born on the farm this year. William, Chelsea, Elsie, and Eleanor… all of whom we retained.
    • Farmer’s Markets – This was our first year doing farmer’s markets full time and while we were only able to be in 2 markets a week (nothing compared to the 5-6  a week we hope to be in, in 2015) it really allowed us to find our customers. I love being able to interact with the people who use our soaps. I love their feedback and stories.
    • Purchasing Our First Herd Sire – Before this year we would do “driveway breedings,” meaning we would wait until the girls would go into heat, take them to the farm where our chosen buck lives, breed them, then bring them home. This is extremely stressful. Especially when goats are only in heat for 24-36 hours, with only about 12 of those hours being “optimal,” and the truck you use to transport your goats is also the truck that your husband takes to work. Goat heats, when you don’t have a buck in rut to throw them into a really good heat, are really slight. You have to know exactly what you are looking for, and in the case of our girls, it can be easy to miss if you aren’t actively looking for it. This spring we purchased our first herd sire. It was so much easier to tell when the girls where in heat. The only challenge was dealing with a young buck who had never bred before… He didn’t really know what he was doing… but in the end he got the job done and we currently have a herd full of pregnant does.

    Thank you for all your support in 2014! I can’t wait to see what 2015 has in store!

  • Follow The Freckled Farm in 2015

    Now that both Kevin and I are putting a full time effort into the businesses you can expect to see us a lot more! In addition to introducing new products and vending at a lot more farmers’ market in 2015, we plan to really ramp up our social media presence…’ More Facebook, more Instagram, more blogs, and more Twitter!

    Facebook: www.facebook.com/thefreckledfarm

    Follow us on Facebook to keep up to date with where you can find us, new products, see pictures from around the farm, and so much more!

    Instagram: TheFreckledFarm

    In 2015 I am undergoing a 365 project! I will post a picture from the farm everyday! See pictures of cute animals (including baby goats), projects around the farm, the farm through the seasons, the kids, etc.

    The Blog

    The blog is one of the best places to keep up with new products, specials, the farm and farm life, and more! We will have several blog series’ starting in the new year like our “Fun Farm Facts Friday,” and the return of “What’s Up Wednesday” where I highlight that week’s happenings around the farm and with The Freckled Farm Soap Company. We also be posting videos from around the farm… because who doesn’t love videos of goats? Subscribe to the blog so you never miss a post! It’s delivered directly to your email.

    Twitter: FreckledFarm

    Where all of the social media’s will come together! Want to follow the 365 project? Want to hear about new products and specials? What to keep up with what is going on around the farm… Follow us on Twitter!

  • The Week Ahead – December 15th – 21st

    This is the last week to get our soap for Christmas gifts! Who doesn’t love receiving handmade, local goat milk soap? It’s a great stocking stuffer or teacher gift!

    Saturday December 20th  – South of the James Farmer’s Market – 9am – 12pm – Forest Hill Park – New Kent Ave & 42nd Street, Richmond VA

    Saturday December 20th – Vendor Expo at Midnight Brewery – 1-4pm – 2410 Granite Ridge Rd, Rockville, VA 23146

  • The Week Ahead – December 8th – 14th

    This will be our first week at the South of the James Farmers Market! Come out and see us!

    Saturday December 13th  – South of the James Farmer’s Market – 9am – 12pm – Forest Hill Park – New Kent Ave & 42nd Street, Richmond VA

    Sunday December 14th – Carytown Artisan Market – 10am – 5pm – 3201 West Cary Street, Richmond VA

  • The Big Announcement

    Most of our friends and family have known this was coming for a while, years actually, and we have discussed it with many customers, especially over the last few months, so for some of you this may not be a surprise, but now that everything has been made official we can announce it to everyone…

    In about a month, on January 6th, Kevin will be leaving his job outside of the home to put a full time effort into our two small businesses with me. That means starting in 2015 The Freckled Farm Soap Company and Neilson-Hall Photography, will be our only sources of income. This is an enormous, and scary step for us, but we have spent years preparing for it, and both businesses have grown so much in the last year that they require full time attention from both of us. This has been the plan for a long time and we have actually reached our goal years ahead of schedule! In 2015 you can expect to find us in a lot more stores, and to see us at a lot more farmer’s markets and craft shows!

    So, as we take this new step in our lives and businesses we thank your continued support. 

     

     

  • The Week Ahead – Nov 24th – 30th

    It’s the busy time of year for The Freckled Farm Soap Company, so I’m going to try to get back into sending out reminders of where we will be each week… That way you don’t miss a chance to pick up your goat milk soap stock for the winter or all the gifts you need for the holidays!

    Wednesday November 26th – West End Farmer’s Market Thanksgiving Market – 10am – 1 pm – 12450 Gayton Rd. Gayton & Ridgefield, Henrico, VA 23238

    Thursday November 27th – Happy Thanksgiving!!

    Friday November 28th – Art Works Black Friday Art Faire – 12pm-10pm – 320 Hull St, Richmond, VA 23224

    Friday November 28th – Monday December 1st – Black Friday – Cyber Monday Sale – When you order through our website during these dates you will get 10% off your order in addition to the free shipping for orders over $50!

  • Free Shipping on Orders Over $50!

    We are very excited to announce that you are now able to get free shipping on orders over $50! It’s time to stock up for the winter, when the benefits of our soap really shine! Not to mention goat milk soap makes a great gift 😉

    Free Shipping on Orders Over $50 - Goat Milk Soap from The Freckled Farm Soap Company

  • Introducing Rosemary Mint

    Our November soap is coming a few days late this month. We are in the thick of the busy season with both of our businesses (the photography business and of course the soap business)… our “to do” lists are a mile long. I finally had a chance to photograph this month’s debut, so here we are…. I’m am excited to introduce the newest soap to our line…. Rosemary Mint

    Rosemary Mint Goat Milk Soap from The Freckled Farm Soap CompanyThis soap has a more subtle mint scent than our wildly popular Peppermint Eucalyptus, paired with the earthly scent of rosemary. The rosemary and peppermint are perfectly balanced giving a nice robust fragrance.

    Check our website to get yourself a bar of this awesome bar of soap!

  • Fall Soap Giveaway

    Today is the first day of Fall… The best season of them all, and it just so happens that this is our best seasonal soap so far! This amazing soap is scented with Orange and Clove!

    Fall Goat Milk Soap from The Freckled Farm Soap Company

    We had decided back at the beginning of the year that our Fall soap was going to be Orange Clove. To me that is the perfect scent to represent Fall. Back a few months ago we ordered all the supplies we needed to make this new scent so we could start our tests. The day the essential oils came in the mail I unpacked the boxes, put the tanks on the counter, and left the house for a few hours. When I came home I walked in the door and was hit in the face by the smell of clove… Now we knew clove was a strong smell, we were prepared for that, but this was incredible. The tank was unopened and sealed! We spent some time trying to figure out the perfect combination. A combination where the clove did not completely overwhelm the orange… and let me tell you folks, we found it! It’s the perfect combination! It’s truly a wonderful scent and I can’t wait for all of you to try it… it’s a shame it will only be around for a few months.

    Like with our other “Season Soaps” you have a chance to win two bars and try it out for yourself! Enter below!

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

    All entries will be verified. If you do not follow through with the entry it will be void and you forfeit your chance to win.