Meet Olive The Goat At The Country Living Fair In Columbus, Ohio

Meet Olive the Goat at the Country Living Fair in Columbus, Ohio. Get your picture taken with her September 18-20, 2015.

Country Living Fair in Columbus, Ohio

Come see us at the Country Living Fair in Columbus, Ohio this September. The fair runs September 18-20, 2015. Our booth location is #99 Main Street. Come out and meet Olive the goat and get your picture taken with her.

Each year the event takes place at 800 17th Ave. Columbus, Ohio, at the Ohio Village. A charming recreation of the 19th century. The pages of Country Living Magazine come alive. You'll find antiques everywhere and handmade arts and crafts.

Early bird tickets are available. You get to shop before the general public. We're offering a special discount for early bird shoppers.
Even if you're not an early bird we still have great mix and match deals all day long.
Come on! Join us! You don't want to miss out!

Top 5 Benefits Of Using Goat Milk Soap

One question we get asked a lot is, "What are the benefits of using goat milk soap"? That's a good question! You should question what you put on your skin. It's not only important for people with sensitive or problem skin but people with healthy skin. You want to keep your skin healthy!

Let me first tell you our goat milk soap is never cut with water! We use pure, raw, goats milk from our goats. Our goats aren't fed anything bad. We never spray our pasture. We feed only organic and non-gmo grains. We also maintain our goats health with the use of herbs instead of conventional medication and a whole lot of love goes into our goats. We love what we do and we think it shows! We have happy goats! 

Let's take a look at the top 5 benefits of using goat milk soap. 

• Moisturizing Ability: Milk has the ability to moisturize you skin and help your skin maintain moisture. The milk content in our soap is high in cream and fat. This is good news for people with dry or sensitive skin. High cream and fat content means extra moisturizing ability. We use whole milk from Nubian goats. Nubian's have a higher fat content that other goats. 
• Alpha Hydroxy Acids: Goats milk contains lactic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid that aids in skin rejuvenation. It helps remove dead skin cells leaving new smooth skin cells, producing a younger look. 
• Protein: Milk is naturally rich in protein making goat milk soap great for delicate and acne prone skin types. Protein found in milk has essential amino acids, again making goat milk soap an excellent choice for delicate and acne prone skin types. These proteins help kill acne producing bacteria. 
• Vitamins: Vitamin A is naturally produced in goats milk. We all hear about retinol these days but did you know that retinol comes from animal sources like goats milk? Retinol is Vitamin A! Which is great for your skin! This is good news for people with acne, psoriasis and other skin disorders. As a bonus it also helps with fine lines and wrinkles.  
• Minerals: Goats milk is loaded with minerals that are important for your body. Minerals like calcium, potassium, selenium to name a few. Calcium for example is important for every organ in our body and your skin is no exception. Calcium is great for skin rejuvenation. Potassium help the growth of new cells, which in turn makes your skin healthier. Selenium can help skin from over exposure to the sun. Selenium is also believed to help prevent skin cancer. 

Softer, younger skin is waiting for you! It's just hard to overlook the benefits of using goats milk soap! 

Grandview Hop

Join us August 29th, 2015 for the Grandview Hop in Grandview, Ohio.You'll want to come out see what they have in store. It's their block party! There will be a flash mob dance. Three of them to be exact!

Don't miss out on live music, local shopping and good food.

Offinger's Marketplaces Wholesale Show Review

If you are looking to grow your home-based business you may want to try your hand at wholesale trade shows. We do a lot of gift and craft shows all around Ohio and recently in Tennessee. You can gain wholesale accounts by doing local retail shows but to maximize your reach you might want to try wholesale trade shows.

That's exactly what we're doing. In order to reach more buyers we decided to dedicate this year to wholesale shows. We first started with the Columbus Marketplace (read our review). The next wholesale show for us was the Offinger's Marketplaces show August 22, 2015.

Again, like our review of the Columbus Marketplace show the staff is really nice to work with. Not only are they nice to their vendors you get a little welcome bag when you sign in. Plus (at least at this show) we got two vouchers for free lunch from the concession stand.

Before the show started the buyers were lined up and ready to buy. I'm talking a lot of buyers with carts, wagons, and trash cans on wheels to zip through and start spending. The sound is unreal of all those shoppers rushing into the show wheeling their carts and trash cans. Sounds great right?

Primitive items available at Offinger's

Well not so great if you are a producer of handmade items. They are not there for you! They are there for the buy and sell imported items. For that reason we give it 1 out of 5 stars. Also it was all primitive home decor. If you are home business of primitive decor I don't think they are there for you either. We had a neighbor with handmade primitives and I don't think they can compete with pricing.

We have nothing against imported items being there we just wish someone had told us it's not a handmade market.
It wasn't just us that had this experience. We talked with other makers of handmade, made in the U.S.A items and they had the same experience.

The other big disadvantage for this show is most buyers didn't want to meet wholesale minimum purchase amounts. The handmade booths held to a minimum purchase amount and the buy and sell booths did not. People were able to buy one or two items at wholesale pricing. It seemed like most buyers are there to shop at half price and have no intentions of carrying your product line.

I would not recommend this show to someone with handmade items but you need to decide for yourself. Sometimes we have to experience things for ourselves. If you decide to do this market I wish you much success! Besides you never know. You only need one good account to make it worth your while.

I will keep on eye on this wholesale show and will jump back in it again if it becomes a market for handmade items. But until them we will not do this show again simply because it's not the right market for handmade. If you have a buy and sell import business I highly recommend this show. It may be the right fit for you!

Chickenmash Farm booth display at Offinger's Marketplaces Show

Columbus MarketPlace Wholesale Temp Show Review

Are you looking to grow your home based business?

This year we've decided to grow our wholesale market. In order to do so you need to get out there and try different wholesale trade shows. We've always displayed at local gift and craft shows and occasionally you'll pick up wholesale accounts.

We set up our products at the Columbus Marketplace in Dublin, Ohio as one of their temporary exhibits for the August show.

Let me fist start by saying that the people that operate the Columbus Marketplace are wonderful to work with. The sales reps from the permanent show rooms are warm and receptive to the temporary exhibitors. The sales reps may pick up your line and carry them in their show room. So it's a great opportunity.

The show wasn't as busy as I thought it would be. I was told from others that regularly set up as a temp exhibitor that it was slower than usual. You have to learn to accept these things and judge for yourself if you want to try the show again.

We will try it again. I'm leaning towards the March show. If you have gift items that would be a good fit for hospital gift shops I was told that's when a lot of buyers from hospitals come in to see what's new.

The days of the show are Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday is optional. We opted out of Tuesday. Expect Friday and Saturday to be slow. Personally I think it was slow on those days because most shop owners are at their stores on Friday and Saturday. A lot of gift shops are closed on Sunday and Monday. Sunday and Monday were by far the busiest days.

Over all we had a good experience. I would give it 3 stars out of 5. The only reason it's not higher is their wasn't enough volume of buyers.

We gained some new accounts we would not have gotten had we not been there. It's always nice to meet the buyers and build a relationship with them. After all when we all work together they help your business grow and you can tell them first hand the benefits of carrying your product line.

Chickenmash Farm booth display at Columbus Marketplace

We Started Our Own Soap Company And You Can Too!

Who are we? How did we get our start? How did we come up with that name... Chickenmash Farm?

We are the Mash Family. We started out with chickens which led into getting goats. Since chickens started it all and with a last name like Mash that's how we became Chickenmash Farm! 

We started our own soap company and you can too! 

My husband and I grew up in Columbus, Ohio. Never imagined we'd end up goat farmers! We met in high school and got married soon after graduation. When I was in high school I went to a career center for Animal Care and Management at Northwest Career Center. While at the career center I joined FFA (Future Farmers of America). I never imagined I'd actually be a farmer some day. It seemed crazy enough a kid from the city was in Future Farmers of America. My whole childhood I grew up in an apartment living the city life. 

Being from Columbus I thought I'd travel the world with Jack Hanna and work at the Columbus Zoo. I always loved animals. I still love Jack Hanna and the Columbus Zoo but I wouldn't trade what I do. I make goat milk soap and you can too! 

When we left Columbus we headed to Grove City, Ohio. At the time it seemed so far away. Does anyone remember when Grove City seemed like living in the country? That's where we got our first laying hens. Actually they were all roosters! Like I said we were city kids we had a lot to learn. 

My husband and I started growing an organic garden and getting healthy eggs for us and our young daughter. We didn't know at the time chickens are the gateway animal. After that we got our first dairy goat. She was a Nubian goat named Star. She was the best first goat anyone could ever ask for. 

We got so much milk from one goat we couldn't believe it. I started researching soap making and that's how it all began. 

Since then we've moved even farther south from Columbus to Williamsport, Ohio. We make our goat milk soap, body products and candles right here on our farm. 

You don't need a big farm either. You could say we are micro-farmers. We are living on under three acres and it's perfect for us. 

If you want to start your own soap company. just start. I'm not saying it's easy but starting is really the first step. Move forward despite your uncertainty and it give it your best. You'll do great! 

And if you have questions along the way just ask me. I don't have all the answers but we can learn together. 

Wholesale Show Offinger's Marketplaces

This Saturday August 22, 2015 you can catch us at Offinger's Marketplace wholesale show in Columbus, Ohio.

This is a cash and carry wholesale marketplace for registered buyers. You can shop home decor, candles, handmade crafts and so much more.

We offer wholesale opportunities for all business sizes. Shop our goat milk soap, goat milk lotion, foot and body creams, hydrating body sprays, lip balms, face serums, our number one selling Emu & Shea face cream, healing comfrey salve, and organic wood wick soy wax candles.

See you there!

Why We Love Candles (And You Should, Too!)

It should go without saying we love candles. What's not to love? If you're afraid to burn a candle that's okay ours work great on candle warmers. But let's talk about why we love them and you should too!

Candles can bring back fond memories. We've had people stop at our booth and smell candles and reminisce about how the fragrance makes them feel or how it smells like grandmas house.

We had a little girl in our booth one time and she called her grandma over. She said "grandma this candle smells just like you". It was our Plumeria Candle. What a complement for grandma! It's a delicate, sweet scent and something that will remind that girl of grandma for years to come.

Fragrance also have an aromatherapy effect on us. They can help you relax, We have a customer that is a lawyer and loves our Stress Relief Candle. It's an aromatherapy blend of spearmint, eucalyptus a hint of musk with a floral undertone.

Candles fragrance can be uplifting and make you feel refreshed and ready to tackle the day or clean the house. Why not light a candle and make them think you did laundry all day!

Anytime of the year is a good time to burn candles but fall is my favorite time of year to enjoy candles. I don't if it's the cool, crisp days, the warm glow of a lit candle or the fact that I love fall fragrances. Whichever it is, it gives me a feel of comfort like a warm baked pie.

One of the best reasons to buy a candle is because of the way it makes you feel! So what's your favorite fragrance? Leave us a post and let us know what you love about candles!

10 Myths About Goats

What came first the chicken or the goat?

Well for us it was the chicken which led into getting goats. Did you get chickens and now you want a goat? Yeah, I did too. Now I know the chicken is the gateway animal.

Maybe we can clear up some myths about goats to help you decide if having goats is for you.

1. Goat will eat anything. Not true! Goats are actually picky eaters. If you watch them eat they browse. They don't eat tin cans. Goats will use their mouth to touch and feel. If a button looks interesting they want to feel it just  like we do with our hands.

2. The milk tasted awful. That's not exactly true!  The milk will only have an off flavor if it isn't fresh or they've gotten into something like wild onions.

3. Goats Stink. That's not exactly true. The only time you smell a goat is during breeding season. The bucks have a musky scent. It's not pleasant that's for sure and the smell will rub off on the girls but only during breeding season. Once breeding season is over so is the odor.

4. Goats are mean. Not true. I've never had a mean goat. We've had goats for 20 years now and I've never had a mean one. They are so sweet and loving like our dog.

5. If a goat has a goatee it's a male. Not true. We have a female with a goatee.

6. Goats with horns are males. Not true. Males and females have horns.

7. Goats will mow your lawn for you. Not true. Don't let you goat loose in your yard expecting that to happen. As we mentioned above goats are browsers not grazers.I can tell you from experience if they get in your lawn they will run to your shrubs, trees, flowers, garden and so on.

8. Goats are hard to contain. This one can be true and false. The only time we had this problem is when we got our first goat. She was our only goat so if there was a way out she'd find it. She was lonely and wanted our attention. When we started getting more goats we didn't have this problem anymore. Now if a gate is left open they will head for trees and shrubs. On occasion we've had a baby goat get under a fence but they yell constantly wanting back in with everyone else.

9. Goats are hardy. Not so true. I've seen so many people get goats thinking they can just throw them out in a field with no shelter. They need to get out of all elements. Our goats hate to get wet. When it's raining they won't go out of the barn. Our goats will jump over puddles to keep from getting wet or dirty. They need protection from other animals and the cold.

10. It's safe to tether goats on fence lines or anywhere to eat down certain areas. Not true, Personally we never tether goats. Goats can hang themselves if they aren't watched. I'm know people do but I would strongly advise watching them very closely or not doing it at all.

I love goats. They are fun, sweet and clean animals. If you're trying to decide if they are right for you just keep in mind what they need, shelter, hay, health maintenance and love.

Wholesale Goat Milk Soap and Body Products

Come see us this weekend at the Columbus Marketplace in Dublin, Ohio. The show hours are 9:00am-6:00pm August 14-18.

The Columbus Marketplace has a one floor lay out convenient for buyers to stroll through the beautiful show rooms. This weekend is the temporary exhibits which we are a part of. Come and visit our booth and sample our products and smell what we have to offer. We will be taking orders for delivery.

We offer wholesale opportunities for all business sizes. Shop our goat milk soap, goat milk lotion, foot and body creams, hydrating body sprays, lip balms, face serums, our number one selling Emu & Shea face cream, healing comfrey salve, and organic wood wick soy wax candles.

See you there!

5 Tips To Get You Started In Soap Making - Cold Process

Are you thinking about making soap?

We make cold process goat milk soap. Let us share with you five quick tips to help you get started.

1. Online resources. Join soap making groups. One thing I've learned - soap makers help each other.

2. Use local resources. Buy oils from your local store. You want to experiment when you first start so begin with oils that are easy to locate. Once you catch the soap making buzz then start buying in bulk.

3. Get equipment just for soap, like stock pots. I never use soap making equipment for cooking food or anything else. You'll need goggles! I wear disposable gloves and a smock. I can't tell you how many shirts I've ruined. I use blenders. You don't have to but if you do make sure you use only glass blenders and make sure there is no plastic in the bottom of the blender under the blade. I can tell you from experience that the plastic under the blade will brake down, crack and you'll have to throw out a batch once broken plastic pieces get inside the soap.

4. You'll need sodium hydroxide, aka lye. You may still be able to get a small container at your local hardware store. If you don't see if ask if they can order it in for you.

5. Don't be afraid. You'll never start if the directions seem too scary. You'll get the hang of it. Just read, reach out to other soap makers, watch You Tube videos and get started!

We'll expand on cold process soap making in other blog articles. Hope these five quick tips make you feel comfortable enough to get started. It's fun and addictive. Happy soaping!

Anti Aging Skin Care - Top 10 Tips from Chickenmash Farm

Anti-aging tips that will help us grow old gracefully.

1. Wash your face with a gentle soap.
2. When exfoliating very gentle is key! Your face, neck and chest only require a gentle exfoliation.
3. Drink plenty of water! Your skin loses elasticity when you don't hydrate enough.
4. Get plenty of sleep. Beauty rest is important. Your skin looks better when you're well rested.
5. Know what you put on your skin. Read ingredients and see if what you're using is healthy.
6. Eat healthy. Good skin depends on what we put in our bodies.
7. Don't pick out your face. I know! I know! It's hard not to do but picking at pimples, blackheads and blemishes only increase the chance of getting scars and wrinkles.
8. We need oil. Many people think because they have oily skin they don't need oil so choose skin loving oils for your skin type. We make Face Serums for Oily Skin, Mature Skin, Combination Skin and Dry Skin.
9. Protect your face from over exposure to the sun.
10. Make DIY skin care recipes at home with simple ingredients from the kitchen. Read through our blog we've posted free skin care recipes you can make at home.

Visit Chickenmash Farm online or on Etsy!

Beauty Rest is good for your skin!

Wholesale Bath and Body Products

We offer wholesale opportunities for stores, gift shops, co-op's, re sellers and those who sell products at gift and craft shows. We do have a minimum purchase amount for qualifying wholesale customers. We base our pricing on a volume discount program. That way you can buy a little or a lot. You can start out investing as little as $72 (prices are subject to change). As you grow your new product line you can bump up to our tier two pricing and receive an even deeper discount. Either way you still make a profit.

If you are interested in a wholesale account fill out our quick form and get started today!

The best part is you don't have to buy by the case. You get to decide what you carry and you get to mix and match any items in any quantities to reach you minimum purchase amount.

This includes any goat milk soap in any combination, goat milk lotion, foot and body cream, face cream, face serums, lip balm, salves and our soy wax candles.

Some ask "do you offer custom labels"? Yes we do! No charge to you either! We will take our company name and logo off and replace with your company name and/or logo. You need to have your logo in a photo format like jpeg, png. We can also do custom labels for party gifts.

Label Ideas: Company Name, Company Logo, Party Favors, Baby Shower, Wedding Party, Bridal Shower, Graduation, etc. You name it. We'll work with you to make it your own.