Santa Fe Gift Market

My first wholesale trade show! This is New Mexico's Own 17th Santa Fe Gift Market, and the timing couldn't be perfect for debuting my new packaging and getting to meet retailers from all over the place. Pictured on the round table is my recommended first order. An order this size (about $150 wholesale) would have a nice presence on a store shelf in a market or a gift store.
As Taza smiles down on us, we hope to have lots of success!

Snake in the barn

This explains why I don't see 5 or 6 mice while milking any more.

Packaging Arrives!

The boxes have arrived--and here is Roan assembling the boxes for me--we have 10,000 pieces . . . we won't be assembling them all at once, that's for sure. Hurray--they're beautiful!

". . . every one is surprised and then falls in love!"

A lovely email from Alexandra's (see blog post 8/23/10) mother, who writes, "If my mother were alive I know she would have written you a note too!"

"I am the woman from Carouge in Switzerland whose son lives in Santa Fe and whose daughter was visiting from Washington, D.C. You are a special person and someone none of us will forget. I have begun giving lotion bars to my friends and every one is surprised and then falls in love!

"For the moment, the fragrance lingering on my feet and hands, when I go to bed, vividly brings back this recent trip and all the memories made with my kids. My carry on luggage smells fabulous.

"I hope the bees keep buzzing, the goats keep producing and your kitchen does not become too small for a business that will continue to grow.

Take care,
Mical"

". . . the fresh Mint scent is a great way to start the day, and the Citrus in the lotion bar is delightfully soft"

These lovely comments just came to me from Alexandra V., from Washington D.C.

"Just wanted to send a quick note to let you know how much I'm enjoying your products! I was at the Santa Fe Farmer's Market two weeks ago with my mom - she lives in Switzerland, I live in Washington - and we bought a number of your products.

"I use the Mint soap in the shower every day and use the lotion bar in the evenings. I'm sure I'll need to stock up on both to get me through winter in Washington. I love the products - the fresh Mint scent is a great way to start the day, and the Citrus in the lotion bar is delightfully soft. And I particularly like knowing that the products are all natural and made by hand!

"Thanks for the care and energy that goes into the products - it makes a difference. And, congratulations on all the exciting recent developments for your business!"

New Palette

I'm preparing for Milk and Honey's debut at the 17th Santa Fe Gift Market at the end of the month--this is a wholesale show that features NM made products, and I am in the midst of that great creative process of designing my booth--small though it may be.

I have been needing to update my market booth look to match my new logo for some time, and now it is just falling into place! I love to use quilting fabrics to communicate different aspects of my business, like the scents of different soaps and lotion bars, and I love the depth and graphic quality, as well as the subtle shades of quilting fabrics available these days. It is also incredibly cost effective, and gives me an opportunity to get out my sewing machine.

I had great fun finding the colors you see in the picture above--At first I thought I would have to choose between berry-colored fabrics (the darker, vs the lighter, retro-print), but quickly realized I could use both! I used Spoonflower to print a sample of 1 yard of fabric with my logo, which I am now using to create a prayer-flag style patchwork banner for my table.

I will post pictures when my booth design is complete!

Thank you from Terry Brunner

I just received this warm thank you from Terry Brunner, NM State Director of the USDA, and just wanted to share it:

Dear Ms. Lee:

Thank you for hosting me and Senator Tom Udall at the recent Obligation of Funds Ceremony we held at your Milk & Honey place of business and for your wonderful hospitality. Please let Simon know that Senator Udall and I greatly appreciated the tour of the farm and the beehives.

Your farm was a perfect location to showcase how our federal dollars can be spent to develop and promote local business and products and we are especially pleased that a small business like yours can benefit from these grant funds. We wish you great success in the promotion of your product line.

Sincerely,
Terry Brunner
State Director

Thank you Terry!

Infusing Olive Oil with Calendula

A fresh crop of glorious dried calendula flowers was delivered to me by Heather Harrell on Saturday--and they went right into a pot of olive oil. They will turn the olive oil a beautiful golden color, imparting their healing resin--calendula is a powerful skin healing herb that soothes dry skin, rashes, sunburn, cuts, bugbites--you get the idea. Some folks with eczema find it helpful, too.
Although I can't claim this on my new packaging, you better believe these flowers are grown organically. One of the beauties of working with small farmers is you know they are growing clean--but it's just not worth it for them to become certified organic. So while I can't use the "organic" label, I can tell you their wonderful story--which makes for a much richer understanding of my product and our values.