Our First Investors!

Here we are in our finest fines to celebrate the first investment in Milk and Honey!

It all began at the ice rink, where I met and skated with Stephen almost daily at the lunch time session. Later, Stephen coached my son Simon during his first season in hockey. Then last Christmas, a mysterious package arrived for Simon containing a beginner's Dungeons and Dragons kit--from Stephen. He was then recruited to teach both Simon and Roan (and me . . . ) how to play D&D. . . which led to dinners at Janet and Stephen's on Sundays . . . which has led to their investing in my business!

This is a very momentous step for Milk and Honey; I am growing by leaps and bounds, with many exciting opportunities, ideas and plans. I have decided to conduct a "Friends and Family" investment offering to my, well, friends, family and loyal customers, with a particular focus on micro-investments (starting at $2500). My new business plan and feasibility study, as partially funded through my USDA grant, is almost complete. This plan will give investors a clear idea of where Milk and Honey is headed and why it is such a great opportunity to invest with us.

In the meantime, I did some major shopping: 250lbs of oils, 50 new mold trays, a gorgeous, custom-built storage unit for my inventory, & new full-color lotion bar labels for my tins. I have even been able to bring in two friends to begin to learn to make soap and help package product!

Not a moment too soon, as I am now in all four Whole Foods Markets in New Mexico, I will be attended a wholesale show April (the Oasis Show, Abq), and much more!

"Will your lotion bar help my cracked fingers?"

My customers ask me this every single Saturday in winter, and it's all I can do not to jump over the table, spin them around the dance floor, and say "Yes!"

Yes!

Yes! It will help soothe and heal your cracked fingers, and it will help prevent the cracks! Now, I'm not pushing a miracle here. It's just simple. Beeswax + almond oil + coconut oil softens and protects the skin enough to either prevent the cracks from happening, or enables your skin to recover and heal those cracks. Add in some calendula, which, while we can't legally say it is "healing"--it is an herb used to treat dry skin, rashes, itchiness, burns, etc--it's gotta help with the cracked fingers also. Now, you have to really rub in a concentration of lotion bar on your cracked spot--this is an emergency, after all--and then you can breathe with relief as those cracks heal up.

Give it a try!

Visiting Whole Foods

I have now visited three of the four Whole Foods Markets in New Mexico--my new "territory" for my soaps and lotions. Let me give a shout-out here to Margaret in Albuquerque (Indian School Plaza), Emmy & Amanda in Santa Fe (Cerrillos), and Karyn in Santa Fe (St. Francis). I haven't met with Rob yet (Albuquerque, Academy store), but all the signs indicate he will be awesome too. I just want to say, everyone is so nice, helpful, eager and interested. It has just been an incredibly positive experience. And this seems to be true regardless of which Whole Foods I visit! I took some time to meet John in the Whole Body department in Boulder (Pearl) --shout-out to him too--and he was just as cool.
Here's to Milk and Honey steppin' out! Happy New Year!

Snow in Boulder

Hi Folks,

I'm visiting Boulder for the first time, and what interests me about being here is all the businesses and "brands" that have originated from here. Most of these companies are significant in that they are forward thinking: eco-friendly, cutting-edge natural, healthy, good-for-you with savvy branding. Boulder seems to be a real launching platform for these kind of entrepreneurial ventures. (The town itself makes all those values a priority--bikes and bike paths everywhere, public transportation, a million kinds of trash receptacles for processing recyclables (and a broad recycling program), a local food movement, etc etc.) Exactly the kind of stuff I find inspiring. I am also impressed with the scale of these boulder-based, national brands--just sipping tea this morning in the window of a cafe (watching lots and lots of snow coming down), I could feel this entrepreneurial spirit--and I realized I have been thinking too small with Milk and Honey.

As with any growth or future plan, there can be feelings of fear--even some hidden deep within the desire to grow and move forward. I could feel the fear of a certain kind of growth--one in which I imagine my business becoming more impersonal, somehow, if it gets too big.

But here in Boulder, with all these successful companies, I started to envision that as I grow, my sense of community and connection will simply expand--to encompass more people, in more places. And my ability to reach more people in a positive way--whether that means inspiring them to do business differently, run out and get a few goats, or create meaningful jobs--will be bigger too.

Thanks Boulder!

Sula the Goat Stuffie--Now Available!

Sula the Goat has arrived on my website--the perfect, cuddly gift from our farm to you! On each and every box of our new packaging, we feature Milk and Honey's "Employee of the Month"--one of our girls, of course! Our goats are our most valuable employees, and we've decided to honor them by offering this adorable Nanny Goat Stuffie who we've named after our goat Sula. With her white floppy Nubian ears down to the dark stripes on her nose, she is of course a charming gift for the children (and goat lovers) in your life. You can pair her with a soap and save 10%. She even says "BAAAHHH!" when you squeeze her!

Reflections on “Local” . . . as I send soaps and lotions out to customers and stores across the country (and even the world!)

Steve Wall, of Buckin' Bee Honey, is my supplier of beeswax; I consider him a business partner, he is so integral to my business.

“Local” may not be relevant to you if you’re buying my product in Pennsylvania or Minnesota, but what it really means is “relationship-based business.”

We make sourcing our business needs locally—from our ingredients to our graphic designers—a core value of Milk and Honey, because we can form long, meaningful, productive and mutually beneficial relationships with the talented, hardworking folks who are also our friends and neighbors. We believe that business connections based on relationships will be stronger, more fruitful and more ethically responsible—beyond what any contract could cover.

As our products move out into the world beyond our local Northern New Mexico community, we hope these values inspire others to do the same.

Our business friends are listed on the “resources” page of our website—visit their websites, call them, learn about them, give them your business!

Where do the holes go? A paean to recycled art

This is art made from the numerous circles of cardboard that are by-products of my new packaging! These pieces were made by kids at my daughter's school, Fayette Street Academy, under the guidance of Carol Ware, a Santa Fe artist and jeweler. I am thrilled that these cut-outs can have a new creative life, and am excited by the possibilities of a "green business" meaning not just run-of-the-mill recycling, but actually recycling that spawns new life and beauty in the world, not to mention creative materials and inspiration for children!

And, this is an opportunity to rave about Santa Fe's famous annual Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival, which took place this weekend. (Mentioned in USA Today!) I bought a fabulous pair of earrings from Carol (from the "cut collection"--visit her site), got total goosebumps from the stunning sculpture of Bates Wilson, especially his piece "Totem for Troubled Times" which has a haunting presence in real life. You can see photos of his work, but of course, they pale in comparison to the real thing.

I also bonded with Levi Koenen, who makes license plate art signs, of all things, but he and I gabbed about business and gift shows, and is a comrade! I hope to visit his shop in Tuscon some day, or maybe I'll run into him at the LA Gift Show.

It is always good for me to be exposed to incredible creativity, beauty, crafty entrepreneurs, and Holiday shoppers!