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Goat’s Milk Soap Is The GOAT

David Tran | August 28, 2020

Topics: art, community, freckled farm soap company, goat soap roanoke va, local business, naked goat soap, richmond va farmers market, richmond va goat soap, roanoke, roanoke va farmers market, South of the James Farmers Market, virginia goat soap, wandering cow farm

Whether you want to incorporate more clean skin products into your life or just to live out your cottagecore fantasy, these homemade soap businesses from all around Virginia are here to add to your collection. And the best part: the soap comes from goats. 

While you’re deep asleep in your bed at five in the morning, Crystal Neilson-Hall of Freckled Farm Soap Company is out feeding her herds of goats. 

This is just the start of a long day for many goat farmers in Virginia. From tending their farms to formulating recipes, local goat farmers spend much of their time surrounded by the redolence of livestock, lavender, and cedarwood. 

PHOTO: Freckled Farm Soap Company

At Freckled Farm Soap Company in Goochland, Neilson-Hall and her husband may work until 10 or 11 at night. While her life constantly revolves around tending to her goats and other farm animals, Neilson-Hall says it doesn’t feel like work. 

“I feel like I’m living my vacation, because I love what I do,” she said. The company is named after her two children, Breckin and Bryce; both names are Celtic words for “freckled.” She had always wanted goats, and the soap business grew out of her desire to raise them. 

As environmentalists, Neilson-Hall and her husband stand behind the nutrition and environmental benefits of using goat’s milk. After doing their research, they decided to start creating products. 

“So often, people are using products that put horrible chemicals into our water system,” Neilson-Hall said. “That messes up our reservoirs, creating algae, and killing and suffocating wildlife. So we’re very careful to pay attention to what we are creating.” 

Their bar soaps consist of goat’s milk and essential oils, which they source from suppliers with Certified Sustainable Certificates, indicating that they utilize sustainable practices. 

PHOTO: Freckled Farm Soap Company

In addition to their goats and typical farm animals, Freckled Farm is bestowed with a guard llama, Afton, who is famous among many customers. Afton is reaching old age, but with the help of a guard dog, he is still committed to protecting the farm and animals. 

“His job has always been to protect the herd,” Neilson-Hall said, “and he takes it pretty seriously.” 

Naked Goat Soap, located right outside of Richmond in Hanover, was founded by Heather Long in 2014. The “Naked” in Naked Goat Soap refers to the lack of dyes and chemicals in her products, Long said. 

Burnt out by her real estate career, Long decided to venture into the soap-making business after moving to her husband’s family farm and acquiring goats. From there, she delved into research on goat’s milk benefits and soap-making, and started experimenting with batches. She began selling to friends and family, and the business grew organically. 

“It was just a flow, a natural process as this came together,” Long said. “It afforded me the opportunity to focus on my business and leave my previous career.” 

PHOTO: Naked Goat Soap

GOAT Soap, based in Roanoke, was created by Bryce and Emily Gannon after a trip to their local farmer’s market nearly a decade ago. They purchased goat’s milk soaps from a vendor, and after one use, they never went back to any other soaps. 

The two were so in love with the soaps that they soon talked with the vendor about expanding his brand nationwide. After learning the soap-making process directly from him — and with many trials and errors — GOAT Soap was born. 

“It all started from a desire,” Emily said, “to take such a good product with goat’s milk in it to more than just the downtown Roanoke farmer’s market.” 

The brand’s name is a pun, as GOAT is an acronym for The Greatest of All Time. The Gannons are confident about goat’s milk products when they say “it’s the greatest soap of all time.” 

Homemade goat’s milk soap lacks artificial ingredients and chemicals that commercial mass-produced soaps often contain. The rich nutrients in goat’s milk, such as alpha hydroxy acid, combined with essential oils’ soothing properties, make the product a non-toxic and natural alternative that many consumers seek. 

Both Neilson-Hall and Emily Gannon pointed out that mass-produced commercial soaps are not legally allowed to call their products “soaps,” but rather use terms like “beauty bars” or “moisturizing bars.” 

PHOTO: Freckled Farm Soap Company

“Many of them are qualified as detergents, not actually soaps,” Emily said. “In order to be a soap, you have to move through the saponification process.” 

Saponification, in simpler terms, is a process in which triglycerides such as oils react with lye to produce soap. 

“Once you go handmade, you can’t go back,” Neilson-Hall said. “They’re using high-quality ingredients, high-quality oils that are really nourishing.” 

Owning a small goat’s milk soap business comes with multiple perks. Besides being surrounded by goats all day long, there is full creativity and control in designing and naming the products.

Many of Naked Goat Soap’s product names are influenced by their scent profiles and color. Take “Calm” as an example: a cool, gray bar soap. It’s named after the lavender essential oil’s ability to calm, and for Long, gray is a calming color. 

“I think people are connected to a scent,” Long said. “Maybe it reminds them of their childhood or it reminds them of a certain place.” 

Neilson-Hall and her husband have a similar approach to naming their soaps. While they do take into consideration the ingredients and scent profile, extensive research goes into the naming process as well. 

PHOTO: Naked Goat Soap

They were conflicted on what to name a bar soap containing frankincense and myrrh. Neilson-Hall said she wanted to avoid simply naming it “Frankincense and Myrrh,” because it can have religious connotations. After learning these essential oils originated in the Northeast region of Africa, and that Cleopatra used them in her makeup to prevent conjunctivitis, she decided on the name “Cleopatra.” 

“We felt it would be a good homage,” Neilson-Hall said. “This woman, who is known for her beauty and her skincare; to honor her [because] these essential oils hail from her part of the world.” 

Wandering Cow Farm in Charles City, named for owner Mary Murphy’s infamous cow that frequently escaped the farm, started out as a forage project for her kids. She soon turned to soap-making as a way to help treat her daughter’s psoriasis and acne. 

Like many local businesses, Murphy’s business took a hit amid the coronavirus outbreak. As a response to the pandemic, she began making face masks and hand sanitizers. Murphy went through all the steps to get federal and ABC permits, so she’s able to buy alcohol from manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, and distilleries. For Murphy, helping people find these essential products during coronavirus was an important contribution to the local community. 

PHOTO: Wandering Cow Farm

GOAT Soap also felt the effects of coronavirus this year. Launched in March, right as the pandemic started creeping into the United States, Emily Gannon said the extra time at home was helpful. It ensured that their products and website were ready before launching, and it was also beneficial to customers. 

“It has helped that people have had a chance to slow down,” she said, “and evaluate the products they use in their life.” 

For Neilson-Hall and Long, there were some challenges in operating during the pandemic. A majority of their income came from farmer’s markets and exhibitions. With cases spiking in Virginia in past weeks, these events were cancelled. 

The reopening of the South of the James Farmers Market allowed Neilson-Hall and her husband to experiment with selling their product under social distancing guidelines, but they barely made a profit. 

“The little bit that we were bringing in was not worth the risk it was bringing into our family, with my high-risk husband,” she said. 

In an average year, Long would attend 20 to 24 shows, one as far as Nashville, she said. This year, while some shows transitioned online, Long said the virtual markets do not offer the same intimate experiences and interactions as in-person markets. 

PHOTO: Freckled Farm Soap Company

Despite the obstacles that the coronavirus has created for these local businesses, website traffic has surged during the past couple months. 

Long is thankful for her customers’ loyalty and the brand’s stockists — like Ashby, Whole Foods, Mamie’s Apothecary, and more — for their continuous support for her business. She also acknowledged the amount of free time she now has to develop her brand further. 

“It allowed me to step back for a second,” Long said, “and to take time to start working on new products, like our liquid soaps. [It also helps] to hone in on the things that maybe you’d miss on a day-to-day normal year.” 

The pandemic has forced many local vendors to restructure their business models, and these goat’s milk soap companies are no exceptions. 

“Luckily, we have amazing, supportive customers who have followed us to this new platform and continued to support us,” Neilson-Hall said. 

Soaps from Freckled Farm Soap Company, Naked Goat Soap, GOAT Soap, and Wandering Cow Farm are available on their websites, along with other products. 

Return To Our Roots: How Farmer’s Market Vendors Prevail In A Pandemic

Julia Raimondi | April 9, 2020

Topics: cavalier produce, eat local, farmers market richmond va, harvest market oconnor brewing, local farm richmond va, local food richmond va, local food virginia, local vegetables richmond va, norwood cottage bakery, O'Connor Brewing, penn farm normas produce, produce richmond va, produce virginia, richmond farmers market, richmond market, richmond va, RVA, South of the James Farmers Market, st stephens farmers market, virginia farmers market, wandering cow farm, williamsburg farmers market

When grocery stores become a place of worry, Virginia’s local farmer’s market vendors are here to show how eating local can benefit us all. 

Mark McIntyre, owner and head baker of Norwood Cottage Bakery, is no stranger to economic turmoil. 

When the 2008 recession hit, McIntyre was working in advertising. At the time, he was baking only for friends and family, making cakes and breads for dinners and parties. But as the economic crisis got worse, McIntyre began reconsidering baking only for fun. 

A friend emailed him about a new farmer’s market that was starting in Richmond, and suggested he participate. At first, McIntyre resisted. He didn’t have an industrial baking space, and couldn’t afford to renovate his kitchen to pass such an inspection. Then, as if it were fate, Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, introduced SB272: a bill that created inspection exceptions for home bakers. 

Photo via Norwood Cottage Bakery

“I took that as a sign,” McIntyre said. “I knew someone who worked downtown at the General Assembly, so I sent some cupcakes to Sen. Deeds as a thank you.” 

When he attended a vendors’ meeting for the upcoming South of the James Farmer’s Market, McIntyre solidified his decision. There were several home bakers there planning to sell cakes, but no one was interested in selling bread. The market had a niche he could fill. He researched how to make no-knead bread, and sparked the beginning of his dream.

“The first market I went to, I sold out,” McIntyre said. “When I started in 2008, I turned 50. It was an interesting thing; I discovered the passion of my life that I never knew was there. A couple years after I started, the people that worked with me in advertising and said, ‘You’re my hero, you did what I want to do. We all want to get out of advertising.’”

Photo via Norwood Cottage Bakery

For years, McIntyre sold bread regularly at the South of the James Farmer’s Market in Forest Hill Park, and built a strong customer base of locals and college students. This year, McIntyre was anticipating another strong market season when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Now, a majority of his customer base — college students — have gone home, and markets are being ordered to close.

“It’s not just an economic downturn,” McIntyre said. “It’s social, physical distancing, which is completely opposite of what the farmers market is about. It’s about community; seeing people and talking to them.” 

Despite the hardships, McIntyre and other market vendors are figuring out creative ways to make it through. 

McIntyre is still baking and selling breads, but at a discounted price. Customers can see his list of bread options on his website and pre-order via text or email. And luckily, South of the James has been able to keep business alive for their still-active vendors. Although no one can attend the market in-person, South of the James has received permission to run a drive-thru pick-up market. During the week, customers can make pre-orders directly through participating vendors. On Saturday morning, they pick up orders at the market. 

South of the James was unable to provide a comment at this time. However, they regularly update their Facebook page with market and vendor information. 

Photo via Penn Farm/Norma’s Produce

Penn Farm/Norma’s Produce is another participating vendor, run by former migrant workers for the past 18 years. They’ve been a market staple since 2011, and are offering various seasonal produce at South of the James and other regional markets, including Harvest Market at O’Connor Brewing Co. in Norfolk and the Williamsburg Farmers’ Market. 

Leopoldo Beltran Jr. is the son of the farm’s owners, and he helps run the market side of the business. When the virus began to spread its way across the United States, he knew there would be impacts on the 2020 season.

“For the first two weeks, it was basically a waiting game to see what we could do,” Beltran said. “Luckily, our farmer’s market managers did what they could to set up with pre-order, drop-off, and drive-thru style markets. It’s really hard to organize as a small business to take more than just orders from certain markets, because it takes so much time away from keeping the rest of the business going. We really hope it’s not long term. It’s more work than it has to be.” 

Filling pre-orders takes away from important aspects of work on the farm, like planting and weeding. It stretches the staff thin, but they’re satisfied being able to sell produce at the market at all. They also are happy for the opportunity to continue satisfying their regular customers, and hope to attract new customers as well — such as people that might be reluctant to shop in grocery stores.

Photo via Penn Farm/Norma’s Produce

They aren’t the only vendors banking on that idea. Cavalier Produce, a local wholesale vendor that stocks Richmond-area restaurants, is now offering produce on an individual consumer basis. They’ve discovered that many of their new customers are those seeking to avoid shopping in grocery stores.

“We have direct customers calling us, we have people who prefer local over other no matter what, and we service them,” said Denise Yetzer, president of Cavalier Produce. “We have customers calling us who are in a high-risk group that don’t want to go to the grocery store, and we’re helping them learn about buying locally and supporting local business.”

To help educate customers, Cavalier Produce provides a list of their local suppliers on their website, and are constantly building and expanding that network. They also have a list of available products and are in the process of making an online ordering system.

Everyone in Virginia’s local food production industry has had to be creative in providing goods to customers. Local artisans are no exception: Mary Murphy, the owner of Wandering Cow Farm, said she has switched from doing mostly wool-felting — a profitable business during market and festival season — to making soaps that customers have more need for during the pandemic. 

For those interested in purchasing soaps or custom-made felted wool products, customers are currently able to go on the farm’s website or email Murphy directly. She’s also participating in St. Stephen’s grab-and-go Farmer’s Market and South of the James market.

Cavalier Produce’s Buy A Box, Give A Box Program. Photo via Cavalier Produce

Even after the worst of the pandemic passes, Murphy is anticipating longterm changes to vendors’ business models, including her own. She is hopeful, however, that this virus will result in more people shopping local and buying locally-made products.

“I think it’s going to be a new normal, and your business has to change to suit that,” Murphy said. “I think there are immuno-compromised people who, from here on out, will have to think twice about going into large groups of people. To serve them, and the public, is taking that into account.” 

RVA #29: Brenner Pass opens, a chat with Wild Earth Farms, burgers & more donuts

Amy David | September 8, 2017

Topics: Brenner Pass, church hill, Good Eats, Grace restaurant, Metzger Bar and Butchery, rva food, rvadine, Scott's Addition, South of the James Farmers Market, sugar shack donuts, WIld Earth Farms

Good Eats: This article was featured in RVAMag #29: Summer 2017. You can read all of issue #29 here or pick it up at local shops around RVA right now.

A Taste Of The Alps

The culinary creative minds behind Metzger Bar and Butchery in Church Hill have been toiling away on their latest project, and this time, Richmonders will get a little taste of what the Alpine region has to offer.

Chef Brittanny Anderson, Pastry Chef Olivia Wilson, Brad Hemp, Nathan Conway, and James Kohler will open Brenner Pass in Scott’s Addition, a restaurant with a focus on the cuisine of Switzerland, France, and Italy.

“There’s fondue from Switzerland, a really traditional vibe from the Piedmont of Italy and [the] Chamonix and Haute-Savoie region of France,” said Anderson. “And then we’re taking all those traditional things and updating them with a modern vibe and making them a little more of what the modern diner is looking for.”

Anderson, Hemp and Conway opened Metzger in 2014, which has since carved out its own niche in Richmond’s foodie town with its rustic, seasonal menu of German-inspired fare, wine and cocktails. But the crew didn’t want to stop there, so last year they took a trip to Europe in search of their next inspiration.

“For me… I cooked a lot with Italian chefs and was really looking for an outlet, and a place to explore that cuisine a little bit more so I went to the Alps last year and it was such a beautiful region and great culture,” Anderson said. “The food is really different and fun and I think a lot of people aren’t used to or don’t know much about it so we were excited to bring that to Richmond.”

The restaurant’s namesake is after the well-known mountain pass, which goes through the Alps forming the border between Italy and Austria. Brenner Pass will open for dinner five nights a week, serving up many large, family-style dishes for sharing such as fondue as well as seafood dishes like Arctic char and trout, a veal chop and a whole rabbit dish smothered in a red wine and chocolate sauce.  Entrees will come in around the mid-$20s with a large portion of the menu dedicated to snack options all under $10.

Anderson will be at the helm as chef, Wilson will head up the pastry program at Brenner Pass, Conway will oversee the wine program, and James Kohler, formerly of Saison, will oversee the bar program.

The restaurant and bar, which is located at 3200 Rockbridge St. in Scott’s Addition, has been under construction for over a year and is slated to open in June. The Metzger owners also plan to open a bakery and coffee shop in the space of their restaurant next door called Chairlift, slated to open shortly after Brenner Pass.

*Editor update: Brenner Pass opened June 22 and Chairlift opened at the end of August. 

Longtime Restaurateur Brings A Little “Grace” To Church Hill

Veteran restaurateur Jessica Wilson plans to open Grace, a seasonal, sustainable farmhouse restaurant on Chimborazo in the fall.

Wilson, who currently lives in New York, plans to have a focus on fresh, local produce using a neighboring garden and sourcing from local farms.

“It’s something I wanted almost my entire life,” Wilson said of the venture. “I have old blueprints from when I was younger of putting a restaurant together.”

A dishwasher at 14, Wilson has been in the industry for 25 years living and working in New York City for the last 10 years. She’s opened five restaurants for people in the city and worked in well-known NY eateries such as Prune, Goat Town and most recently Deer Bushwick before leaving last year to pursue her dream.

“That was the first year I didn’t have a full-time job for someone else,” she said.

Wilson checked out spots in Brooklyn and Charleston before deciding to visit Richmond in January.  “I had a friend down here and I just started falling in love with Richmond,” she said.

She started looking at locations and stumbled across a property on Chimborazo Boulevard on a local food blog. “I looked it up and got butterflies, I was like, ‘that’s my place, that’s my restaurant,” Wilson said.

The space was originally a confectionery shop opened by Hiram H. Herbert in the early 1900s and eventually became a grocery store. Wilson will close on the property at the beginning of June and start renovations in the summer. She also plans to live in the space upstairs.

Grace will be a 4,700-square foot restaurant and market with a 40-seat patio and a garden next door to support the restaurant. “There’s nothing really there and I think providing that morning market would be really good for produce,” she said.

The restaurant will focus on old farmhouse techniques such as curing, preserving and pickling according to Wilson, and have a wine cellar. “We’ll do a really good bar program from vegetable based juices for the mixtures, fermentations of different tonics and thinks like that,” she said. “I’m going to do as much in-house as we can.”

In addition to a market and garden, Wilson hopes to offer programs for kids, such as cooking and educational classes once she opens. “I want it to be a place where I can give us as much back to the community, but also be a really good place to eat. Every day of the week,” she said.

Until Grace gets up and running sometime in the fall, eager patrons can get a taste of what Wilson will bring to the table with her east coast pop up dinner series, Gather for Grace, which will launch in June.

Donuts Shackin’ Up In Hanover & Burgers Heading For Chesterfield

Donuts, burgers, and beer. Have any three words ever sounded so magical together?

Richmond’s ever-expanding, ever-delicious doughnut shop Sugar Shack is set to open in Hanover in June on Mechanicsville Turnpike to serve up their famous donuts and coffee.

Image may contain: food

Sugar Shack opened its first location on North Lombardy in 2013 and has since expanded with locations in Bon Air on Huguenot Road, Parham Road in Henrico, Alexandria, Arlington, Fredericksburg, two in Florida, Stafford and Virginia Beach. Plans for additional shops in Charlottesville and Washington, D.C. are already underway.

Image may contain: food

And it’s managed to stay fairly under the radar, but the folks behind Sugar Shack, Ian Kelley, James Henderson, Michael Goins, plan to open burger joint Luther Burger. The restaurant, which is slated to open the same month as the Hanover sugar shack, will go inside the Bon Air location and serve locally sourced beef, turkey, and veggie burgers. Buns will be hand-rolled using the same dough used to make the donuts. In addition to burgers, Luther Burger will serve waffle fries and carry a rotating selection of beers and seasonal wines.

Editor’s Update: Sugar Shack Donuts & Coffee in Hanover opened Aug. 12 and Luther Burger has not yet opened.  

 Sweet Side Of ‘Saur’

Fermenting may not be the current hipster-foodie trend right now like deconstructed coffee, smoothie bowls or drinking vinegars, but the process is only flavorful, but good for your digestion and overall health. Just ask Grant Collier who spends his days running Wild Earth Farms.

Launched in January of 2016, Wild Earth Farms makes and sells raw, naturally-fermented vegetables in Richmond using produce from Virginia farms.

Stephanie Dennehy Photography

And it’s not plain old canned sauerkraut you get off the shelf at your local grocery store, Collier and his girlfriend Bri McCarthy have come up with some creative recipes such as Garden Spice Kraut (Celery, Garlic, Cumin, and Black Pepper), a Lemon Rosemary Kraut, and “Smokey Sauerruben” (fermented turnips, carrots, and sea salt).

“Everything we do is lacto-fermented,” Collier said. “We partner with these farms and support these local farmers and show people another dimension of healthy food that’s fun, that’s exciting, that really encourages people to cook at home. We’re all so busy, when you have this awesome condiment that’s really good for you in the fridge, you can add it to whatever you’ve been cooking.”

But the two also sell other items such as hot sauce, eggplant spread, chow chow (jalapenos, onions, green tomatoes, and carrots), kimchi, and a Mexi-Cali corn which is made with spicy corn and jalapenos. “It’s a super hit,” said Collier referring to the street corn. “It’s the most healthy, fermented delicious thing for tacos.”

Stephanie Dennehy Photography

Wild Earth Farm’s two hot sauces are sure to please anyone with a need for heat. The “Green Queen” is a smokey, Salsa Verde sauce boasting flavors of garlic, lemon and brown Sugar with green peppers & tomatoes. “Wild Fire” uses orange habaneros and red sweet peppers for a great flavor and balanced heat. Collier’s passion for sustainable agriculture started back when he was a student at James Madison University. “I was involved with environmental advocacy in college and doing farm internships,” he said.

What cemented Collier and his girlfriend’s interest in sustainability and launching their own venture was in the summer of 2015, when the two quit their jobs after college and went on a bike tour of the country. “We spent six months on bicycles and we visited a lot of farms and volunteered through that WWOOF program,” he said. WWOOF, or World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, links volunteers with organic farmers and growers for hands-on learning experiences in exchange for room and board.

Stephanie Dennehy Photography

“We learned more about farms and the challenges of farm businesses so that drew some more interest in how we can make farms more profitable and doing something with their produce,” Collier said.

The two started out on a farm in Mechanicsville, but moved their operation to a kitchen off Horsepen Road near The Answer Brewpub last summer. For now, Wild Earth Farms is getting its produce from Tompkin, Dragonfly Farm, Cumberland, Community Food Collaborative, and Frank Community Farm, but Collier hopes to expand beyond that. “We couldn’t do what we do without the farms and local agriculture,” he said.

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Their line of fermented products is sold at Good Foods Grocery, the monthly Brunch Market in Scott’s Addition, South of the James Farmer’s Market, and Saint Stephens Episcopal Church. Being a budding business, Collier said the focus now is to expand their line of products and customer base within the next year.

“We’re addicted to coming out with new things, it’s really fun. We get such good responses from customers at markets,” Collier said. “I want to be a Richmond brand; I’m not focused on major distribution I want to get known really well here and develop our partnerships with the farms.”

https://www.facebook.com/WildEarthRVA/

 

 

 

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