Our Beginning
Just how did we begin selling soap and cheese made from goat's milk?
Our story began in the fall of 2002 when my brother-in-law, Howard, was working with a man who raised dairy goats. This
man talked with Howard a lot about his goats: how to raise them, the benefits of having them, and goat's milk soap and
cheese. Howard shared some of this information with my sister, Anita; and they thought they might use dairy goats on their
newly purchased land in Ivanhoe, NC. If for nothing else, the goats could be used to clear some land for building their
house. They didn't realize that a lot of other people got into the goat business thinking the very same thing!
Within a few months, Howard and Anita decided to start their own goat's milk soap (and eventually, cheese) business.
They asked my husband and I about becoming partners and we agreed. We decided to market the soap and cheese in the
Raleigh-Durham area, where Danny and I live; and Anita began mentoring with a lady who has been in the business for over 15
years. In January 2004, Black River Farmstead began selling our goat's milk soap; and in September 2006, we were state
certified to sell our goat's milk cheese.
There's one other thing: once we decided to sell our goat's milk soap, we also decided that our goats would NOT
be used to clear land! They are fed high quality products and, as a result, they produce high quality milk for our soap and
cheese.
So, that's how we began this new part of our lives, using our homes, kitchens, workrooms, and a lot of our waking moments, for something completely new and challenging for the four of us.
