Mary Kroll feeds Ragnarok, the alpha male of her goat herd. During a recent field trip, a group of local children fed Ragnarok and his fellow goats crackers, cheerios, and bananas.

An hour, a day, a month, and an hour: that’s how long it takes to make one batch of goat milk soap. “It takes an hour to milk, a day for the soap to come out of the mold, a month to air dry and cure, and an hour to trim the rough edges and apply the labels,” says Mary Kroll, Beulah resident and proprietor of Wild Heaven Farm.

It’s been nine years since Kroll and her husband, Kevin, first opened their farm. Originally, Kroll says, she had planned to produce bottled goat milk and cheese; however, when she realized that her property wouldn’t cut muster with the USDA, the plan ground to a halt – briefly.

Things got back on track when Kroll’s mother-in-law pointed out the goat milk soap sold at Cracker Barrel.

“‘Pssh,’ I thought, ‘I could do that,’” Kroll recalls. “My family has started a number of businesses on that very principle.” Armed with five goats and unstoppable determination, she set to work.

Kroll began researching, largely online through soap-making message boards. More experienced soapmakers not only answered questions, but directed her to resources that helped her develop formulas. “Research is a strong area with me, and I’m proud to say that all of my formulations were successful the first time out,” Kroll says. Still, there were challenges ahead – everything from the frustrations of creating a website to learning the hard way that custom-scenting lotions on demand at farmer’s markets was more trouble than it was worth to taking an hour to milk one goat – that made the road a bumpy one at times.

With several hundred batches of soap under her belt now, however (and plenty of ebullient reviews from customers), Kroll is far more confident about her abilities as a soapmaker.

The soapmaking process begins, of course, with goat’s milk – 21.5 percent of the base soap recipe is goat milk, meaning roughly an ounce of every four-ounce bar will be milk. The Krolls raise Alpine and Nubian goats, who produce about a gallon a day and a half-gallon a day, respectively. “The trade-off [with Nubians] is that their milk is richer, with a higher butter fat content,” explains Kroll. “Nubians are the Jersey cows of the goat world.”

Milk is then frozen in ice cube trays – an important part of the process because when lye, one of the essential ingredients, is added, an exothermic reaction is created. “If you used lye in refrigerated or room temperature milk, it would burn the fats and oils in the milk, creating a nasty, grainy soap,” Kroll says. When lye is slowly added to the frozen milk, however, the exothermic reaction will melt the milk back to a liquid form. Pouring slowly is another vital part of the process, as burns could create lumps in the mixture – “and unlike pancake batter, the lumps don’t come out,” says Kroll. The lye and milk are then added to natural oils, including palm (for a longer-lasting bar), coconut (to make for a fluffy lather), and scents like lilac or gardenia; the new mixture then saponifies, or turns into soap. Now thickened and free of lye, which ceased to exist during the saponification process, the soap can be poured into the molds and set to air-dry and cure. A month later, the soap is ready to have its rough edges trimmed off, and then is labeled and prepared for sale.

“My soap is just that: soap,” says Kroll. “Good, old-fashioned, simple, basic, honest soap.” Much of the “good” part of Kroll’s promise comes from the fact that goat milk is uniquely compatible with human skin. “It contains amino acids and alpha hydroxides that actually help your skin to retain the right amount of moisture. The milk also helps to ensure that the pH level of the soap is the same as the level of healthy skin,” says Kroll. “I can say without exaggeration that these soaps cured the acne of my entire family – my mom, myself, and my five sisters. It just seems to help your skin do what it’s supposed to do, without over-drying or over-moisturizing in the process.”

In addition to soap, Kroll also makes shampoos, body butter, lotion, shaving serum, lip balm, and brown sugar scrub; her Life of Rieley line of products for mothers and babies includes baby butt balm, liquid talc, belly butter, salt soak, and bath salts. All products are free from colorants, preservatives, animal-based oils, alcohol, pre-packaged bases, and phthalates.

Though she’s been in the business for nearly a decade, Kroll hasn’t lost any of her enthusiasm for the job. She admits, “I’m very lucky to have created a product that surprises me even now.”

More information about Wild Heaven Farm can be found by visiting www.vagoatsoap.com or calling Kroll at 275-4361. Those wishing to browse Kroll’s wares in person can visit her every Thursday at the 17th St. Farmer’s Market in Richmond.

ereel@villagepublishing.com | 751-0421

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