Local business specializes in goat milk goods

Living in the valley of California has its perks, one of which is that around just about every corner lives acres of homegrown produce. A variety of fruits, vegetables and nuts are grown year round and sold all around the world. In Prather, California, Basilwood Farm enjoys sharing their friendly team of doe goats and moisturizing homemade goat milk soaps.

Basilwood believes in a communal experience with every customer; with providing affordable luxury skin care products. With a total of 14 named and collared female goats, the produce made is centered around the milk made by the goats.

For 20 years Basilwood has been built up from the start, with lots of labor and sweat they still strive to create a haven for people to visit. Their friendly and curious goats serve as the caprene members of a hardworking team.

Visitors and customers can be involved as much as the goats themselves. With daily milking, pasture antics, projects on the farm and naming contests customers are involved more than ever with Basilwood. The workshops include making cheeses and homemade washcloths for the goat milk soap.

The Basilwood farm inventory covers a variety of useful products for bathing, cooking and laundry. Flavors of soap range from fruity to muscular scents; this provides any customer with a well rounded choice to pick from. Soap bars take unique names like Kiwi Blast, Pink Champagne, Once upon a Time, Rhapsody in Teal and Beard Buster.

We wanted to use our five-acre farm more productively so we transitioned what used to be horse pastures to goat pastures and began with a small herd of dairy goats. From there, we began to research all of the things we could make from the milk.  When we began using the soap, we literally could not believe the difference in our skin and just kept on making it. Hence, Basilwood Farm Goat Milk Soap was born. — Jill Spruance

The soaps and body butters themselves are very skin nourishing. Each bar contains 20% of Basilwoods very own goat milk. Each season also comes with seasonal specials from the production of soap.

Lead coordinator and goat lover Jill Spruance oversees Basilwood and enjoys every part about the business.

“It is never boring!” Spruance said. “Absolutely every aspect of everything I like to do is incorporated in running a business. These things are: creating products, marketing, working from home, incorporating another aspect of self-sufficiency into our lifestyle and interacting with people.”

With just a few thoughts and ideas, Basilwood came to life. From transitioning horse pastures to goat pastures and researching about goats, goat milk became a very useful necessity.

“We wanted to use our five-acre farm more productively so we transitioned what used to be horse pastures to goat pastures and began with a small herd of dairy goats,” Spruance said. “From there, we began to research all of the things we could make from the milk.  When we began using the soap, we literally could not believe the difference in our skin and just kept on making it. Hence, Basilwood Farm Goat Milk Soap was born.”

As the business continues to grow, the friendly and local business atmosphere continues. Products that are sold are meant to leave customers more happier and sufficed with the handmade goodies; most of all left with the feeling of a family-like relationship. Products are available to purchase online here.

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This writer can be reached via Twitter: @JennyPenny8835 and via email: Jenny King.