Before making soap, both you and your husband were in the culinary industry. What spurred the change of lifestyle?
Soon after we got married we decided we wanted to change the pace and lifestyle (restaurant/food business) we had known for so long. We returned to the High Desert where my husband had grown up to be closer to family, slow down a bit and take time to figure out what we wanted to do next. The goats were one of the first projects we took on! We had big dreams of fresh milk, cheeses, yogurt and a small step toward self sustainability! Starting a small soap business was never the plan and happened very naturally and kind of overnight I’d say.

I’ve only just started soaping for about a year now. We started raising Nigerian Dwarf goats the previous year and had just began enjoying fresh creamy goats milk. We were excited about all things goats milk and started making yogurt, cheeses, caramels, you name it. Which led me to my first batch of goats milk soap!

How did you come up with the name for your business?
Ava & Snow are the names of our first two goats. We started out with just the two girls, Ava & Snow. Actually, their full names are Ava Jean & Snow Ball! Goats are a lot like toddlers, they are a little bit ornery, will get into whatever you don’t want them to, have escape artist skills, but are also very sweet creatures who will win you over! Snow is super sweet and a little shy. Ava is more serious and bossy as the herd leader. We really fell in love with them and soon we added Bingo who is our buck (he’s the daddy goat). We now have 6 goats, 2 sheep, 15 chickens, a handful of bunnies and a dog.

Danie named her business after her two goats, Ava Jean (top) and Snow Ball (bottom). 

What sort of advice would you give to those soapers just starting their businesses?
For me the biggest challenge of starting the business was just standing out there behind my product and selling it! I had spent so many years “hiding” in the kitchen “behind the scenes” where the real action was. I’m terribly shy and an awkward introvert, so I was forced to come out of my shell a bit to share my product at farmers markets and craft shows. I still struggle with this.

I feel I’ve just started my business myself so I’m not sure I’m full of great biz advice, but I can say that this handmade community has really been amazing to be a part of! I’ve been lucky to find a tribe of amazing people who support each other, lift each other up, cheer each other on and are happy to share experiences and advice when it comes to running a small handmade business.

A gorgeous display of Danie’s cold process soap. I love her attention to detail and soft pastel colors. 

What is your favorite type of product to make?
Soap is my favorite product to make. I’ve just got into making sea salt bars and absolutely love making and cutting those bars! I like it because it allows me to make a product that helps people with different skin conditions as well as offer a product that is chemical free and natural. That’s why I made my first batch of soap really, I wanted to eliminate chemical use in my house and soap is a product I use everyday so it seemed like a good start.

What inspires you to create?
I think I’m inspired most by the season changes. I’ve always been challenged to create new dishes or desserts with the change of seasons. When I worked  as a pastry chef, what was in season was what was on the menu so I think it’s just ingrained in me to create new scents or flavors as the seasons change.

You make your soap with goat milk produced by your own herd. Why is producing your own soap ingredients important to you?
I think it’s what makes our goat milk soap special. The breed of goat we chose to raise may be the smallest dairy goat breed, but the milk they produce has a much higher butterfat content than others and creates a super creamy and moisturizing bar!

Top left, clockwise: Lavender Sachet, Lavender & Geranium Goat Milk Soap with Rose Clay, a display of various products, Lavender Goat Milk Soap

What’s your #1 tip for creating soap with milk?
Don’t skimp on the milk! Use the full amount of milk and don’t water it down. I think you want to get as much milk benefits as possible in each batch for super creamy, moisturizing, luxurious bar soaps.

What is your favorite Bramble Berry product and why?
I really love the Lavender Essential Oil because it smells so amazing!

Tell us something unusual or unique about yourself!
Before raising goats and starting my soap business I had been a pastry chef and worked in the restaurant business for about 15 years.

Danie and a goat in her herd. Danie and her husband couldn’t consume all the milk their goats were producing, so started making soap with the leftovers.

What are some of your other hobbies and interests?
I love to cook and bake! Also make goats milk caramel candies that I hope to bring to the market in the near future! Gardening/growing as much of our own food. We also raise chickens, bunnies and recently added lamb to our small farm.

Have you ever experienced a horrible soapy fail? How did you work through it, and what did you learn?
Once I must have had a couple large chunks of lye that didn’t get mixed into the milk and ruined the whole batch. I had to toss all of it but now I stick blend the milk and lye mixture really well before adding to the oils and actually think that it make the soap creamier.

Top left, clockwise: Danie makes caramels with her goat milk, a collection of cold process soap, Lavender and Eucalyptus with Activated Charcoal Goat Milk Soap, Love Spell bath bombs (limited edition)

What do you love most about creating bath and body products?
I really like the specific measurements and methods it requires. I’ve always liked organization and precision along with working with my hands. The process of soap making felt natural to me and very much like baking and pastry did. Following and creating recipes was familiar and comfortable to me.

Find Ava & Snow Goat Soap
Website
Etsy
Instagram

The post Interview with Danie of Ava & Snow Goat Soap appeared first on Soap Queen.

How long have you been soaping for and how did you get started?

I have been making soap for about a year and a half now.  I have my own dairy goats that I milk and use the milk in a variety of ways (but soap was always missing).  Quite a while ago, a friend gave me a very simple soap making kit that included everything except the lye.  I didn’t know where to get that and was scared to work with it anyway.  My kit sat unused for a long time.  Finally, I met someone who invited me to participate in an afternoon of soap making with them.  I was hooked!  The lye wasn’t so scary and I got started.  I haven’t been able to stop since.

On top of the creative satisfaction that I experienced, I was amazed that I no longer needed to use lots of lotions and creams to keep my skin moisturized.  First I just gave away the soaps as gifts and of course personal use, but now I am excited to launch a business and sell to others.

What inspires you to create?

Everything is inspiring to me as I think of new soaps to create!  I love looking at pictures of what other people do.  I also try to incorporate colors and scents that I like in other areas of life away from soap making.  Then I bring that to the soap table.  Also, along with that, each soap has an intended audience.  Whether it be men, women, sensitive skin, children, teenagers, or even specific individuals, I try to think of what colors and scents (or none) would represent that audience well.  And lastly, but probably most importantly, my goats inspire me.

I do my best thinking while I am milking and doing barn chores.  I get most of my soapy ideas at that time.  I also have a soap named after each of my goats and try to gear that soap to represent their personality some how.

What sort of advice would you give to those soapers just starting their businesses?

I don’t have much advise for other soapers just starting a business because I am one of them. My only advise as I enter this is just to “go for it”.  I am having so much fun and am so excited by what I am doing that I am almost giddy!  You must love what you are doing and try to find something unique to offer.

What is your favorite type of product to make?

I only make cold processed organic and natural goat milk soaps.  I make many different recipes, scents, colors and shapes.  At some point maybe I will hone into a few favorites or specialties, but for now, I can not keep up with my ideas and inspirations.  All I want to do is make soap, but alas, I also have a family, animals and other regular activities that keep me plenty distracted.

How did you come up with the name for your business?

My business name is Jangle Soapworks.  I usually am a very indecisive person.  But Jangle Soapworks was easy!  At the time when I was contemplating the business aspect of soap making I received an email from a close friend addressed to me as “Jangle” (my name is Janelle).  I thought it was funny and replied to her email with the sign off as “Jangle”.  I later learned that she had made a speedy typo, but jokingly said that I would name my business that.  Together we still call me Jangle.  I liked it a lot for some reason.  It just feels happy and whimsical.  I want my soaps to feel happy and whimsical.  So my business name was born.

What is your favorite Bramble Berry product?

Hmm…this is a hard question…because there are so many favorites.  I am going to give you two answers instead of one.  The first general product that I love of Bramble Berry’s are the natural colorants.  I LOVE the natural colorants! I have ordered and tried them all.  Lemon peel is my new favorite though:  just the right amount of color, scent and exfoliant!  I can’t stop smelling it when I use it.  But all of them are nice.  Madder root is another favorite.  Since I try to use only natural colorants, finding a true red was hard.  Finding madder root was wonderful!  It provides such a rich deep color.

My other favorite “product” of Bramble Berry’s isn’t really a product at all.  It is the support.  I love the personal blogs and answers to questions!  I love that you always answer my questions immediately.  I love that you provide us soap makers with so many ideas and tutorials.  I love the recipes.  I love the FUN inspired by your business and all your sites!

Find Jangle Soapworks:
On Facebook
On the web

If you’re interested in making goat milk soap yourself, check out these tutorials, videos and milk soap kits. Keep in mind making milk soap is more difficult than making traditional cold process because milk contains sugars and proteins that react differently with lye than water does. It takes an experienced soaper to make milk soap, but there are plenty of resources to help you out:

• Goat Milk Soap Tutorial on Soap Queen TV
• HSCG Conference Guest Post: Milk Soap
• Goat Milk Swirl Soap Kit
• Goat Milk Melt and Pour base
• Goat Milk soap archives on Soap Queen

The post Jabbering with Jangle Soapworks appeared first on Soap Queen.