We have some unexpected news for all of you. The Freckled Farm Soap Company will be shutting down/going on hiatus. Before I get into the details I want to let you know that we have spent the last few months working our butts off to build up a huge soap supply (more than 12,000 bars) to help our customers stock up and carry our business to the end of the year. You will have no problem stocking up to get yourself through years of soap needs.
We entered 2025 with a lot of looming unknowns. We knew a change in our lives was inevitable. The business had grown so much that it was getting harder and harder for us to keep up and we were both growing very weary of the complete work/life imbalance that comes from running a dairy farm (we literally work 365 days a year). On top of all of that our kids are getting older and their interests and talents are taking them places that are hard for us to keep up with, with the relentless dairy schedule. The changes that the business and our lives would need in order to continue to make it work were just not something we wanted to do. A year ago we decided that at some point, when the right job came along, we would both go into education. For me this would be a return to the career I was in before we started the soap business and for Kevin this would be his first time as an educator outside of homeschooling our children. We knew that I would be the first to find a job, since Kevin is still finishing his degree, but considering the types of classes I am licensed to teach don’t come up often and the fact there were only a few schools I wanted to teach at, we thought it might be a while before I found something… but then something came up at the top school on my list and the administration worked hard to make the position fit me. I am lucky to be entering a teaching position exactly where I want to be with an amazing and extremely supportive administration. It all happened so quickly but we are very excited about this next chapter in our lives.
So what does this shutdown look like? We aren’t entirely sure. What does it look like to shutdown a thriving business? The business is available for sale but in all likelihood it will simply go on hiatus once we sell out our stock… which is immense! While we weren’t sure if a teaching opportunity was going to come along for me this year we were planning and making soap like it would. We have more than 12,000 bars of soap in stock and we have cut off all wholesale orders going forward, leaving the remainder for retail (website) customers only. Theoretically, this much soap should last us through the end of the year but we do not know what this initial purchase from our regulars stocking up is going to look like, so don’t wait assuming soap will be available in December even though we planned for it to be.
We also made sure all of our soaps were in stock for the shutdown, including all seasonals at once, but you really shouldn’t sleep on those. We made half the Fall soaps and lotions that we normally make and one third the amount of Winter soaps and lotions.
We have been very cautious with our inventory so we don’t end up overselling. If a soap you want says it is out of stock sign up to get a notification when it returns because we might just have it out of stock to check inventory. If a soap is truly out of stock we are going to make that very clear on the soap’s page to avoid any confusion.
We aren’t ruling out returning on a small batch basis but we can assure you that it likely won’t happen in the next two years as I settle back into teaching and Kevin finishes school and looks for his teaching position. So stock up with that time frame in mind.
If you need to stock up and want to know how to store your soap long term… Read This.
Will there be sales or will we do bulk discounts? We do not have plans for a sale right now and we will not be offering bulk discounts.
What is happening to the farm? The goats will be retired and live out their years being pets. We love them and they have served us well. With no babies and no one in milk farm chores will be going from 6-8 total hours a day to maybe 30 minutes to an hour a day.
What will shipping times look like? We have no idea what to expect from this announcement. We will be working hard to get orders out the door but please be patient as we try to navigate these next few months.
We plan to send out emails every two weeks this summer and then once a month once I have started my new job. We will update on stock levels and any sales that we might decide to have. We will also do “low stock” notifications on our social media.
We have truly appreciated everyone’s support over these last twelve years. You have allowed us to enjoy our children’s childhood in a really magical way. You have supported our family and allowed us to be side by side for over a decade. Your support has meant the world to us and we appreciate your support in this next chapter.
Thank you again,
Crystal, Kevin, Breckin, and Bryce