When we started Jersey Bird Homestead, the plan was simple: we wanted fresh goat milk for our family and the ability to make our own cheese. We pictured morning milkings, creamy homemade chèvre, and that satisfying feeling of producing real food right here on our little piece of southern New Jersey soil in Alloway.
We got the goats. We got the milk. We even made some cheese.
But somewhere along the way, the focus shifted — and we ended up building something beautiful around goat milk soap instead.
Here’s how it happened.
Why Nigerian Dwarf Goats?
We chose Nigerian Dwarf goats for all the right homestead reasons. They’re smaller than many dairy breeds, which makes them easier to handle on a family farm. They’re friendly, curious, and full of personality — perfect for a place where our kids are involved and we want animals that feel like part of the family.
Most importantly, Nigerian Dwarfs produce milk with high butterfat content. That rich milk is fantastic for both cheese and soap. We brought home health-tested, ADGA-registered goats (we test for CAE, CL, and Johne’s) and started learning the rhythms of a small dairy herd.
The milk was everything we hoped for — sweet, clean, and noticeably different from anything you can buy in a store.
The Cheese Chapter
We dove into cheese making with enthusiasm. There’s something magical about turning fresh milk into something delicious within hours. We made soft cheeses, experimented with aging, and enjoyed the results at our own table.
But reality set in quickly.
Cheese making is time-intensive. It requires precise temperatures, timing, and space. Selling it adds another layer of regulations and logistics that can feel overwhelming on a small homestead — especially with two young kids, homeschooling, and all the other projects that come with building a self-sufficient life.
We still make cheese for our family when the milk flow and schedule allow. We love it. But it became clear that cheese wasn’t going to be the main way we shared our goats’ milk with the world.
The Unexpected Pivot to Soap
One day, with more milk than we could immediately use for cheese or drinking, we decided to try making soap.
We started with a simple cold-process recipe using our fresh goat milk. The first bars came out beautifully — creamy, gentle, and with a rich lather that felt genuinely nourishing.
We were hooked.
Goat milk soap has a natural gentleness that commercial soaps often lack. The lactic acid and fatty acids in the milk help create a creamy bar that cleans without stripping the skin. It’s especially wonderful for sensitive or dry skin (something we’ve seen firsthand with our own family). And because we use milk straight from our own health-certified herd, we know exactly what’s going into every bar.
Cold-process soap also turned out to be a much better fit for our homestead life:
- We can make it in small, manageable batches.
- It has a long shelf life.
- It’s something we can produce consistently while still having time for the goats, the kids, the garden, and everything else.
- It lets us share the goodness of our milk with far more people than cheese ever could.
Building Jersey Bird Homestead Around Soap
What started as a practical solution quickly became a passion. We fell in love with the process — the careful weighing of oils, the moment the lye and milk come together, the beautiful swirls and colors, and the patient waiting during cure time.
We began experimenting with scents that felt true to the farm: classic lavender, bright citrus, calming blends, and an unscented option for the most sensitive skin. We added shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil, and grapeseed oil to create bars that feel luxurious but are made with simple, wholesome ingredients.
Before long, friends and neighbors were asking for bars. Then came farmers markets, consignment sales, and eventually our website. The Soap Box Soapscription (our subscription service) grew naturally from people who tried one bar and didn’t want to run out.
We still have the same Nigerian Dwarf herd that started it all — goats like Lemon Thyme, Deer Park Sunflower, Dreams Run Juniper, and the others. They’re cared for with the same attention we give our own family. Their milk remains the heart of everything we make.
Why This Path Feels Right
Looking back, it’s funny how things worked out. We set out to produce milk and cheese for ourselves and ended up creating something that brings a little piece of the homestead into other people’s daily routines.
Every bar of soap we make carries the story of our goats, our land, and our commitment to doing things the old-fashioned way — small batch, no shortcuts, no synthetic detergents. It’s “farm-crafted soap, straight from the goat,” and we’re proud of that.
We still dream about expanding our cheese making someday (maybe when the kids are a little older and the schedule allows). But for now, soap is where our hearts and our homestead energy have landed — and it feels exactly right.
Thank you for being part of this journey with us. Whether you’ve been with us since the early days or you’re just discovering Jersey Bird Homestead, we’re grateful you’re here.
If you’d like to try the soap that came from our unexpected pivot, you can shop all our bars here or join the Soap Box Soapscription for regular deliveries with bonus bars and scent flexibility.
We’d love to hear from you in the comments: Did you start homesteading with one plan and end up somewhere completely different? What surprised you most about your own journey?
Stay tuned — we’ve got more stories from the herd, the soap studio, and life on the homestead coming soon.