Welcome To Honey Sweetie Acres

Steve and Regina live in Goshen, OH on their farm Honey Sweetie Acres. It’s a quiet rural community just east of Cincinnati, OH. Back in 2011, my husband and I decided to return to the rural lifestyle we had as kids. Our children were all adults and had their own lives. We wanted “Food Freedom”, the ability to choose farm grown, preservative free vegetables for consumption & canning. We also wanted access to RAW GOAT MILK, which at the time was difficult without owning your own milking herd. So we began our second life raising kids, only this time, our girls and boys are Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats

With an education in business & chemistry, I made natural soap for my children in previous years. I knew the value of lipo-proteins and specific enzymes, and began making soap for my husband’s skin condition. For over a year, we continued to evaluate and perfect our goat milk soap, and there was no turning back, Our FRESH Off The Goat milk, makes us different. We never use powdered milk ever

Why Nigerian Dwarf Diary Goats

Nigerian Dwarf Goats are the smallest dairy goat breed. Maximum height for American Dairy Goat Association does is 22.5 inches and 23.5 inches for bucks. Smaller dairy goats are easier to handle, less acreage is required, and fences are easier to maintain.

However, we chose the Nigerian for their extremely high butterfat milk (higher than any other goat breed) and its superior lipo-protein makeup for our soap production. Such premium milk requires a diet replete with nutrition, vitamins, minerals and fiber from nature. All of this yields 6% butterfat in every bar

Size, attitude and milk composition, made them a win-win for us. A quality Nigerian can produce upwards of a 1/2 gallon of milk a day, sometimes more. However, production is heavily dependent on genetics, the proper diet and a good herd management.

Nigerians are a very affectionate breed and incredibly intelligent animals. Individual personalities and deliberate interaction with their human family make them a joy to own.

Why Goats Milk Soap

People ask us all the time, why did you start making soap?

Steve has spent the majority of his life in high-end construction. His hands have met the rigors of exposure to grout, thin-set, mortar, concrete and other caustic substances which wreak havoc on the skin. For over two years, he battled a fungus type condition on this hands that would not go away. The skin would peel, crack and bleed.

Visits to a dermatologist resulted in expensive prescriptions that helped to a small degree, but the problem persisted. After a month of using our goat milk soap, not only did the condition improve, but it finally went away altogether and has never returned. Family & friends began using our soap and found they no longer had to use lotion to moisturize their skin. With that, we began a year of research into making goat milk soap and all natural skin care products as artisan producers.. before we ever offered our soap to the public, plus education and work experience made soap a natural fit.

What Makes Honey Sweetie Acres Goats Milk Soap Different

Many people wonder about our farm's name. The inspiration came from an episode of the TV show, Man-Woman-Wild. It featured former Army Special Services survival expert Michael Hawke and his photojournalist wife Ruth. They tackled survival in the world's harshest environments, like the Amazon, Borneo, and the Sahara, while maintaining a strong marriage.

As we watched, we couldn't help but laugh at how often Hawke called his wife “Honey” or “Sweetie”—sometimes excessively. I remarked to my husband, Steve, that a man can get his wife to do almost anything with enough “Honey” and “Sweetie.” Steve responded with a sly smirk.

Later that week, I returned from a business trip to find a sign above the goat pen. With such a sweet gesture, what’s a girl to do? Thus, Honey Sweetie Acres was born. We later surveyed customers about changing our soap company's name, but the overwhelming response was NO. A good name has a good story behind it.

Honey Sweetie Acres Is Proud To Be...

• Certified Cruelty-Free
• Certified Humane

The feed chain for our goats is free of antibiotics, hormones, animal by-products and additives. We use organic vinegar – never chemicals – to clean our goats’ water and feed containers.

Our animals have free access to the outdoors, so they may engage in natural goat behaviors of running, jumping, and climbing. Bedding is changed, and stalls are disinfected with agricultural lime during every cleaning.

All goat manure and bedding from the farm is composted for use in our community’s gardens. From conception to the end of life, their health & well-being is a top priority.

What Goes Into Our Soap

Ingredients for each batch are hand weighed, mixed and poured. We use the cold -process method of soap making where no additional heat is added. We believe this assists in preserving vital nutrients. In addition, all soap is aged for a minimum of 6 weeks in a dark, cool, dehumidified environment. Before the soap is packed, each bar is hand checked for complete curing, residual pH, quality of scent and accurate weight. We will not take shortcuts with soap quality High quality, nourishing soap takes time to produce.

Regardless of the current health of your skin, it will benefit from using OUR handmade soap, made with unprocessed, raw goat milk fresh from OUR farm.

Fresh Off The Goat ~ Never Powdered

You will find goat milk soap in many stores and on many websites, so be sure to read the ingredient list. Some use a goat milk base that is a commercially prepared product. They simply melt the base, add color and fragrance and will call it “handcrafted”. We use the raw milk from our own goats. We know what goes in to our Nigerian dwarf goats, and what comes out of our dairy goats. We never use powdered milk, goat milk extract, canned goat milk or commercially manufactured goat milk soap bases. The best moisturizing benefits come from only real unprocessed raw goat milk.

The milk is only one part of a quality soap. It must be paired with top quality oils and purified lye. Soap making oils are sensitive to heat, light, exposure to oxygen and should always be stored in a dark, cool and dry place The oils we purchase are produced by a cold process extraction where-ever possible. This is an extraction process that is free of chemicals high temperatures, which can destroy nutrients.

The Benefits Of HSA Soap

Natural Goat milk contains natural alpha hydroxy acids which help in the removal of dead skin cells. Over time, if dead skin cells are not removed, they will build up on the surface of the skin giving the appearance of weathering and aging. Pure goat milk is less allergenic than other soaps. People with skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, dryness and even acne have credited soap made from raw goat’s milk with reducing associated inflammation, skin flaking and itching.

• Cleans deeply, but gently
• Keeps your skin healthy and moisturized
• Removes dead skin cells and encourages the growth of new skin cells
• Natural Goat’s milk is high in naturally occurring vitamins and minerals. The sweet cream content of the goat milk is one of several contributors to the moisturizing properties of the soap. Soaps made with raw goat milk contains Vitamin A, C, E, several B vitamins, amino acids and natural enzymes.