Transforming a hobby into a lucrative rural business
A CLA member on the Llyn Peninsula in Wales has turned her hobby into a flourishing business that also helps support the viability of her family’s smallholding
When Charlotte Jones bought a Saanen goat to keep as a hobby, it set her on the path to a fragrant diversification on the family smallholding on the Llyn Peninsula. In 2018 she launched her Cwt Gafr/Goat Hut small-batch, handcrafted goat’s milk soap, which she sells to customers via an online shop, fairs, agricultural shows and selected stockists.
Charlotte’s parents acquired the seven-acre smallholding at Pwllheli some 40 years ago. “They had been living in Birmingham. My mum was fostering children and didn’t want to raise them in a city, so they moved here, where my dad is originally from.” Aiming to be self-sufficient, they kept pigs, cattle, sheep and goats, as well as growing vegetables.
Diversifying the family farm
More recently, Charlotte began looking at making the farm work better as a business. Her Saanen goat was producing milk in greater quantities than the family could drink, so she researched what she could do with the surplus. Reports that goat’s milk soap had inflammation-reducing properties that could improve eczema piqued her interest.
“I suffer from eczema, so it made sense to try it,” she says. After experimenting with soap-making, she found that her skin was less prone to the condition. “Other people tried the soap and they kept coming back for more. So, I researched what I had to do to be able to sell it.”
Charlotte has increased her herd to around 30 goats – Saanens, Nubians, Golden Guernseys and Pygmies – and her product range includes soaps, shampoo bars and shaving soap, as well as shampoo bars and lickable paw pad balm for dogs.
Developing the business
Charlotte began making soap on the kitchen table, following YouTube tutorials, before moving the operation into a summerhouse cabin that she previously used as an art studio – she has a university degree in animation and finds her creative background has been useful in developing her business. Making soap is “a fine art” of blending ingredients and carefully controlling temperature through the different processes, she says.
From the outset, Charlotte decided to make a point of avoiding the use of palm oil due to its bad reputation regarding sustainability, and she also avoids parabens. “My recipes and ingredients are quite basic, to keep costs down and make the soap affordable,” she says, highlighting the use of honey from a near neighbour as one example of her “keep it simple and natural” approach.
She has self-funded the business, which initially was quite costly, due to the testing and cosmetic product safety reports required before her soaps could be sold. Equipment ate into funds as she bought “bigger and better”, although she was able to sell on some pieces of equipment after learning they were not necessary for small-batch production.
Charlotte launched Cwt Gafr/Goat Hut soaps at local agricultural shows and Christmas fairs.
Because goats have a reputation for being smelly, some people thought the soap would be too, so I had a lot of convincing to do
Sniff tests soon proved her products were the right sort of “smelly”; her soaps are infused with fragrances such as Flower Field (a lavender, clary sage, geranium and neroli essential oil blend).
The biggest challenge when deciding on fragrance combinations is predicting trends, Charlotte says. “Patchouli [for example] was popular at one stage and now nobody likes it.” Her original soap, made with fresh goat’s milk, coconut oil, olive oil and lye, remains a bestseller. “A lot of my customers suffer with skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis and choose it because it is pure and simple, but lots of people just like it because it is nice.”
Growing sales
“Sales grew quite quickly when lockdown hit because people realised that they had to wash their hands,” Charlotte says. “Since then, [business] has been up and down. Last year, I made thousands of bars but I’ve had a slow start this year. It is seasonal – I do quite well over Christmas at farmers’ markets.”
While social media is effective for promoting her products, she currently sells more through stockists than her online shop, perhaps because people are better able to “get a grasp of the size and scent of my soaps” in person.
As well as selling individual soap, shampoo, shaving and dog products and gift boxes, she has built a niche in providing smaller bars to holiday accommodation providers. She also offers soap favours for weddings, showers and events, although customers need to discuss timelines. “A lot of people don’t realise that once you make soap, it has to cure for four weeks before you can use it.”
Apart from “needing to be psychic” to deal with fluctuations in demand, Charlotte seeks to smooth production and cashflow through the regularity of a ‘subscribe and save’ pricing plan, where customers receive monthly supplies of soap and shampoo. Customers are also incentivised by loyalty points earned and redeemed via purchases.
Bigger picture
Charlotte is taking each year as it comes in growing her business organically, trying to keep prices affordable despite rising ingredient and postage costs. The venture has made a significant difference to the smallholding’s viability, she says, and the goats keep the weeds at bay.
Last year, she set up self-catering holiday accommodation in a log cabin, Cwt Gafr Bach, which is proving popular for getaways to the quiet, beautiful Llyn Peninsula. Her soap is included in the welcome goodies for guests, prompting many visitors to place orders when back at home. “We are working on planning [permissions] to set up a little camp site,” Charlotte adds.
“Goat snuggles” and bottle-feeding sessions, including for a local primary school, have also proved successful. Smelly or not, the goats have helped bring fresh life to the farm.