OUR STORY

It all started with goats….In 2018 we decided to add goats to our farm. Besides being adorable creatures, they produce milk that is a key ingredient in our soaps. Making our own soap was an eye opener. At its simplest, soap is just two ingredients, oil and lye (or sodium hydroxide). I could make this. Over time I started adding some essential oils for scent, some naturally derived clays for color, and lastly botanicals for their healing properties. Soap making proved to be fun, rewarding, and the gateway to so many other things.

For years I’ve been reading food labels to avoid unhealthy ingredients, but I had never really paid all that much attention to what I was putting on my skin. WOW! What an eye opener. Sulfates, formaldehyde, mercury, lead, hydroquinone, parabens, synthetic antioxidants and so many things that disrupt our hormones, irritate the skin, cause cancer and organ toxicity. What goes on our skin goes into our blood stream.

I realized that I may be on my game when it comes to what I eat but I had no idea what I didn’t know about what affects my skin. I tried so many online DIY recipes to create my own clean skin food. Some were nice, but many were just oils that were whipped together. Before I could finish the product, the oils would separate, leaving a mess and my shower slippery. I loved making my own skin and body care products, but they were just lacking in practicality. So, I did something about it.

In 2023 I enrolled in Formula Botanica, an online school out of London. They teach others how to formulate organic skincare and haircare products using plants, flowers and herbs.

January 2025, I earned a diploma in organic skincare formulation! It’s been such a wonderful, wild and very satisfying experience learning about all the ways to make skincare and haircare products without the use of petroleum or synthetic ingredients. Organic skincare can be more than just “whipping up” oils and still be organic and non-synthetic. You noticed I did not use the word natural. That’s a topic for a blog or when we discuss ingredients.

As I pointed out, this is our story. My husband Paul is one of the main ingredients of our story. I create and he supports me. He’s my consultant on everything from designing the labels, packaging the product, running to the post office and as always, he’s the muscle behind set up and teardown at vendor events. Also, after seeing the response to our products, he is the one responsible for getting the website going including proof reading and re writing as needed. Thank you, husband, and thank you to all who are supporting our small wild-crafted and organic business.

Anna & Paul Scudellari