Making A Hard Decision

The porch is often the spot for our tough decision-making meetings.

Welcome to Thursday, dear reader. This morning, the birds are singing, everything is damp from a brief rain storm, and everything looks a bit greener and refreshed. Although there was not as much rain as needed, the small amount we got perked up everything on the farm. Running a small business is a lot like farming. As farmers, we must rely on circumstances beyond our control, like the weather. As small business owners, we, too, have to rely upon outside elements that dictate our choices.

The Bibbed Wonder and I have been fighting an uphill battle. The Smiling Goat Soap Company began in 2016. We made the uncertain and frightening jump to run our business full-time in 2019. My values for this endeavor have been straightforward: provide superior-quality products made with simple, clean, high-quality ingredients, treat our goats as family, treat our supporters as family, and demonstrate transparency in all we do. My commitment to upholding these standards is unwavering. So, today, I will share a tough decision we have reluctantly made and explain why.

After almost nine years in business, we have fought hard not to raise our prices, and to date, we have maintained that. However, as you all well know, everything, absolutely everything, has increased excessively. When I began making soap in 2016, I paid $17 for a gallon of olive oil, $50 for a five-gallon pail of coconut oil, and anywhere from $15-$60 for a pound of various essential oils. Now, dear reader, I pay $35 for a gallon of olive oil, $160 for a five-gallon pail of coconut oil, and $30-$450 for a pound of various essential oils. That list is just an example of the price increases we are experiencing, but every ingredient in our products has almost doubled, some tripled. Also, it doesn't factor in the increase in feed and supplies for our goats. That, too, has increased exorbitantly.

I refuse to lower the quality of my ingredients. For example, I could use overly processed coconut oil or olive pumice instead of olive oil. I could also switch to fragrance oils instead of essential oils. All of these changes would lower my overhead, but they would also reduce the quality of my products. I refuse to lower the quality, end of story. We have made choices to lower costs in areas that don't necessarily affect the quality of our products. For example, I have chosen a different supplier for my boxes and labels. I now buy labels in bulk to lower the cost. I notice a slight difference in the quality of the packaging, but as for the quality of the product itself, I refuse to budge.

As my soap family, you consciously choose to support small, family-owned, farm-based, and, in some cases, we're a local business. You could shop in big box stores, buy from discounters, or shop mainstream, but you don't. For this, I am eternally grateful. When we say we appreciate you, truer words were never spoken. I am astounded by the support, love, and care you all demonstrate. Because of you, I commit to creating the best products, focusing on simplicity, purity, and quality. You can pick up chemical-laden garbage from any of the discount stores, but you choose us. The power of that does not escape me.

With trepidation, I now share with you that on August 1st, we have no choice but to increase our prices. Effective August 1st, our price list will be 4.5 oz. bars/$9, 3.5 oz. round bars/$7, 8 oz. moisturizers/$14, and 4 oz. jars of scrubs and masks/ $14. This is not a decision we have made lightly. Believe me, if we could avoid this, we would. However, our costs and overhead are not showing any sign of lowering, and the cost of living continues to increase. Because of you, our soap family, we have worked hard to keep costs down without sacrificing quality. However, dear reader, we feel as if we are stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place.

Your support has grown, and your commitment to helping our small, farm-based family business succeed has been substantial. My hope is that by sharing this tough decision, you will understand why we have made this choice. All I can say is I hope you do, indeed, understand and can continue to support our small, family farm endeavor. Please allow me to finish by saying we appreciate you and your support over the past eight years. We look forward to serving you for many years to come.

On this cooler, overcast Thursday, stay safe and be smart; thank you for your support. I hope you understand our decision, and keep washing your hands-hopefully, with great goat's milk soap.