Small farms rarely survive on a single product alone.
Over time, we’ve learned that diversification matters — and one of the ways we support the farm is by turning excess goat milk into soap.
We always knew we wanted goats but we had to wait for the right time. The infrastructure needed to be in place, and we definitely needed to educate ourselves properly on goat husbandry before bringing them here. We also wanted to make sure we had a plan for what to do with all the goat milk.
The beauty of goat milk is its versatility. It is both consumable as an edible product and can be made into a storable, long-lasting bar of luxurious soap.
Here in British Columbia, well, Canada actually, it is illegal to sell raw goat milk, or any dairy products unless you own a licensed dairy. That left us with few options. We knew we’d consume milk, home-made yoghurt, soft and hard cheeses, but when a dairy breed of goat, in our case, La Mancha, is in milk, it’s still litres of milk a day. We chose this breed for their consistent dairy production and their rich, creamy milk. Perfect for the foods we wanted to make and for producing nutrient-rich organic goat milk soap.
Organic. Sustainable. Ethically sourced. We had a list of requirements for the raw ingredients we wanted to include in our goat milk soap.
After considerable research, we sourced organic olive oil, coconut oil, sweet almond oil, and sustainable, traceable, ethically sourced palm oil. Combined with rich goat milk, these ingredients became the foundation of our cold-processed soaps.
Important to our ethos is the animals must be able to offer something that helps sustain their presence on the property. In the case of the ducks, it’s eggs. For the goats, it’s their milk.
Their contribution to the farm helps support feed/vet/infrastructure costs, which in turn keeps them healthy. This creates a sustainable loop.
We admit there have been times, last year for example, when we had two goats in milk at the same time. There was an abundance of delicious milk! What to do with it all? We froze the milk of course! Frozen in the perfect amount for a batch of soap, we were able to reduce waste and preserve value.
Here at Point 6 Acre, our small batch, cold-processed soap takes four weeks to cure. We label our soaps with recycled paper, and from mid-May until September long weekend, enjoy the camaraderie of selling the bars at the local markets.
Over time, we’ve refined our systems and truly believe our soap making emerged naturally from keeping dairy goats. It’s a lovely by-product.
On a small piece of land, very little exists in isolation. The goats support the soap, the soap supports the farm, and the farm continues to evolve season by season.
Warmly,
Brin
