Goats' milk soap business continues to grow

Malcolm Gawn (pictured) and his wife Tracy Tooley make and sell soap, shampoo and creams using milk from their 30 Saanen goats on their lifestyle block near Balclutha. Photo / Yvonne O'Hara

Malcolm Gawn and wife Tracy Tooley decided they did not like Auckland traffic or the long commutes, so they moved to Balclutha and now they make soap from goat milk.

Gawn said when they met about 10 years ago he was a corporate sales manager in Auckland and Tooley was an anaesthetic technician there.

''It got to the point we did not want to tolerate traffic, traffic lights and road works,'' Gawn said.

''We moved to an 8ha block near Balclutha with about 30 Saanen dairy goats and with no traffic lights, no roundabouts and no queues.''

About five years ago, Tooley began experimenting with goat milk to make soap, shampoo bars, pet shampoo and skin cream products as well as lip balm using wax from their own beehives.

She developed recipes and trialled them in their old woolshed on the property.

Gawn said each goat had a name and once they got too old to be productive, lived in retirement on the block.

''Our goats can feed their twin kids, as well as provide two litres of milk a day each for us for our soaps,'' he said.

Three years ago they began to market their products, under the ''Simple Naked Soap'' brand.

The business continues to grow, to the extent they intend to build a bigger shed for production.

The business is now a full-time occupation for both of them.

''Tracy makes the soap and I sell it.

''The demand for our goat milk soap is up there and it has continued to grow.''

That means travelling thousands of kilometres a year to farmers' and other weekly markets, selling to cruise-ship clients, attending Mystery Creek field days and going to health expos throughout the country.

They also sell their products through Bin Inn nationally, as well as online.

They do include other natural ingredients, depending on the product, such as apple cider vinegar, hemp, charcoal, raspberries, avocado, oatmeal, mud, salt, coffee and honey.

They also use Douglas fir oil, made by Naked Honey, in Alexandra.