We have been doing markets to test our products for many years. One of the reasons we do them is to get first hand feedback from our customers. Although we sell a great deal of product online, it is nice to be able to look someone in the face and hear what they have to say. Especially when so many hours are invested in making our products.
But one thing that becomes very frustrating, especially when we are denied the opportunity to sell at a particular market because there is already someone selling "Goat Milk Soap," is the idea that all goat milk is the same. It is not.
For example, many people that make soap buy dehydrated goat milk soap from Amazon or some other supplier, and simply add water to to "hydrate" it again. Now that is all well and good, but the truth is that when you cook the milk to dehydrate it in the initial process, many of the enzymes, fat content, and other characteristics are lost. When that happens, the finished product may have a couple of Goat Milk Soap characteristics, but it is not even close to the same thing. Really, it should be classified as an artisan soap at that point. It is kind of like buying dehydrated potatoes and adding water to them. You might know it should be a potato, you might even get a hint of the potato, but it is not even a good substitute for the real thing.
Another example is the folks that make soap from milk provided by their backyard goats. There is nothing wrong with that at all...but if the goat is not dieted for and a producer of quality milk with a high fat content, then the quality of the end product is really sacrificed.
I have no problem with anyone doing these things, don't get me wrong. I do have a problem with markets monopolizing their producers to keep competition down when all Goat Milk Soap is not the same. After all , this is America and America was built on free enterprise. Competition is good, it drives us to excellence.
So, if you have had a bad experience with any goat milk products, before you blame the goat milk, take a peak at the provider and see if they are doing what they need to do for the goat. Without a proper diet, and without a great recipe for the products you are making, quality will be sacrificed.