Kimberly P. Peace, Flag Branch Farm
Adding Value to Goat’s Milk
Grant Award: $6,000
Kimberly converted an existing structure into a dedicated production facility for her goat farm, enabling her to manufacture a line of all-natural goat’s milk skin care products. The new space moves Kimberly out of the home kitchen and into a centralized location, making it easier to track inventory, organize and access supplies, cure product, package, label bottles and prepare deliveries.
The new space provides storage of packaging materials and production ingredients such as oils, shea butter, wax, lye, oatmeal, honey and fragrances. It also has a display area to showcase items for sale.
Kimberly has experimented with various lotion and soap-making techniques and recipes for the past year. “By eliminating distilled water from our lotions, we are able to use more milk and wind up with a thicker, creamier finished product,” Kimberly said. “Our initial success leads me to believe that expanding our line of value-added products, increasing production, and increasing our marketing outlets for these items will help us move toward a full-time and profitable farming venture.”
Kimberly hopes to earn a living off the farm while being a stay-at-home grandmother for her 6-year-old grandchild. She began selling skin care products in 2015, and continues to do so at farmer’s markets in Uptown Shelby and Downtown King’s Mountain, small boutiques and specialty shops, doctor’s offices, festivals and community events.
Kimberly and her husband have cared for dairy and meat goats since 2001. They sell meat goats and dairy goats to stockyards, private packers and individuals and also work closely with the county’s 4-H club and the local high school’s FFA program.
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