It’s All About the Goats

March 22, 2015

Sisters creating unique soaps, lotions

Boyne City veterinarian Pamela Graves always had a love for animals – including goats. So, when she was offered a couple of female goats for sale, saying yes was an easy decision, although she didn’t know it would lead to a whole new business venture.

"I just thought about having fresh goat milk around and took them in," she said.

Tootsie, a white Saanen goat, and Molly, an Alpine goat, were only 18 months old at the time, but they quickly started presenting Graves with almost 2 gallons of goat’s milk a day.

"Of course, I could only drink so much milk," she laughed, "so I started looking for other things to do with it. I made cheese and ice cream, but even those had to be consumed in a short period of time."

Graves started to freeze the milk and looked into making soap. A trial run of soap sent to her sister downstate proved a turning point.

"My sister, Suzanne Millican, lives in Grosse Pointe Woods and they don’t see a lot of goats around there," Graves explained. "I sent some down to a big garage sale she was having and she sold out in no time!" Realizing that there might be something to the goat’s milk soap business, Good Girl Goats was born.

"Suzanne and I have always been close and she’s the brains of the operation, as well as the creative mind. She does the packaging and labels while I make the soap, lotions and lip balms," Graves said.

Graves and Millican added another pure-bred Alpine goat and two rescue does to their little tribe, as well as a wether (a neutered goat boy) and a Polypay sheep they named Larry. All of the animals have distinct personalities.

"Goats have become like potato chips; it’s difficult to just have a few!" Graves laughed. "Molly will follow you around like a dog, including into the house, Tootsie is the most affectionate, and Barley, the boy"¦ he’s, well, special. When he’s not trying to get into your lap, he likes to stand in a bucket. I still don’t know why."

If you’re sensing a fanciful vibe here, you’re right. Even the name of the company arrived via a cute story.

"When the girls are milked, they stand and eat their mixture of sunflower seeds, oats and barley," Graves said. "They stand like absolute ladies. When they step down, I always say "˜good girl!’ so that is where the name came from."

Still, keeping goats and running your business alongside them isn’t only about adorable animals. The milk from these goats has some serious benefits and the process of crafting it into products took some equally serious effort.

"I learned to make the products just from research," Graves explained. "The basis of soap is dissolving lye in a liquid, so I used goat’s milk. To bind it, we use a combination of olive, palm and coconut oils. And we use a cold process method, curing the soap for six weeks to ensure there will be no lye to irritate your skin."

The benefits of the oils, in combination with the goat’s milk, leads to softer, smoother skin, explained Graves. The soaps can help boost moisturization, soothe various skin ailments and maintain a healthy complexion.

Good Girl Goats offers several scents of soap (plus an unscented version), lotion, lip balm in tins and tubes, and bath fizz.

And while you’re beautifying, you can even indulge in a little candy.

"We started making caramels with our goat milk and they’ve been selling like crazy, so now we offer them in plain, salted and chocolate-covered versions," Graves said.

Graves delights in creating and selling her products, but perhaps even more, she enjoys the company of her unusual coworkers.

"Goats are intelligent and affectionate," she said. "They come when they are called and are very strong. They do get into everything; you can’t have plants, flowers or trees, and you must have a very good fence! But, the fresh milk I get every morning and the joy I see in people’s faces when they enjoy our products is worth it every day."

To learn more and to order Good Girls Goats products online, visit goodgirlgoats. com or email the company at orders@goodgirlgoats.com. The products are also available at Sturgeon River Pottery and North Goods in Petoskey, at Adams Madams in Central Lake and at Below the Bridge and Above in Walled Lake.

Goat’s Milk Fun Facts:

- It’s been used as a skincare product for centuries

- Cleopatra’s beauty secret was that she soaked in entire bathtubs of it

- It’s a renewable resource

- Shorter protein strands allow for its easy absorption through skin

- Fresh goat’s milk is said to be a "naturally balancing" substance

- It contains lactic acid, which helps skin naturally rejuvenate

- It’s packed with essential vitamins and minerals including A, B and zinc

- It can help reduce acne and eczema