Goat Milk Soap at Ledgeway in Pittston
This Maine Features journey highlights the everyday people who make our state a good place to live. Matt and Sarah Perkins of Ledgeway Farm represent so much of what we love about the people of Maine.
Matt and Sarah are a down-to-earth, approachable, friendly couple.
Both of them grew up on Maine family farms; Sarah was active in a 4-H Club.
Both of them are hard-working and put in long hours.
They value careful stewardship of the environment.
These are a few of the ways you can describe many Mainers.
Discovering Goat Milk Soap
I stumbled upon this quintessential Maine family business after I saw their goat milk soap in a local store and decided to give it a try. I was immediately hooked! Since I enjoyed the product so much I decided to learn more about the company. This led to selecting Ledgeway Farm as my Pittston feature.
Where is Pittston?
If you’re new here, the intended goal of my long adventure is to visit every town in Maine and write about something in each one that reflects an aspect of our state’s history and/or way of life. Check the index page to see the other completed towns and add your email in the box below this story to stay updated.
Maine is very large and has many towns that you might not pass through if you didn’t have a reason to visit. Pittston fits this description for some Mainers. It is located in Kennebec County. Its neighbor to the west is Gardiner which may be a more familiar name to some. If not, just think “south of Augusta.” Pittston has a population of around 2600 folks.
An Unexpected Experiment
For Sarah, growing up and moving out from home was more like moving “over.” Ledgeway Farm sits on a plot of her family’s farmland. As a girl, Sarah did not have “create soap recipes” on her bucket list. A few years ago, however, she signed up for a local adult education class on soap making. Soon her kitchen was an experimentation station as she endeavored to produce the most moisturizing bar possible. Over time, she made an unanticipated shift from simply enjoying her creation to realizing there was a market for it. Ledgeway Farm was born (though the name was the one Sarah used back in her 4-H days).
Soap Making 101
Like so many of the places I visit, my knowledge of the main subject was rather limited as I prepared to travel to Pittston. Frankly, I’ve never given soap much thought. As I created my list of questions for Matt and Sarah, there were some rather elementary ones included such as, “How does soap clean your hands? through the ingredients in the product or the physical act of washing?” (In case I’m not the only person wondering, it’s primarily the friction and rinsing.)
Sarah and Matt were excellent teachers and explained the entire process of soap making as they showed me around the facilities. This is no longer a kitchen counter operation. Their entire basement has been transformed and now houses the operation. It’s impressive.
Much care was taken when choosing the ingredients in the goat milk soap. For one, a decision was made to use olive, rather than palm, oil. Did you know that olive oil can be purchased in 55-gallon drums?! Seeing the volume of oil helped me better understand the scale of the business. The entire process of mixing, setting, curing, cutting, and packaging is well-organized. In addition to the bars of soap, Sarah also makes dish soap, laundry detergent, lip balm, and shampoo.
The Demand for Goat Milk Soap
Ledgeway Farm has grown quickly. The business is currently producing 1440 bars of soap every week. Their products are carried by 44 wholesale accounts at the moment; that number is steadily increasing. Individual customers can also order products on the farm’s online store or visit the sweet Pittston shop in person to pick out (and smell) their favorite items or to purchase a Maine-made gift for others.
Ledgeway is Kidding
So much else could be written, but we’ll wrap up this visit with the answer to one more important question: where is the source of the goat milk? Well, it’s in the backyard! That’s as local as you can get. Ledgeway Farm is home to about a dozen goats, mostly from the Alpine breed. My visit was timed perfectly as several kids had been born over the past month, including one that was only three days old (the little guy sitting alone). Yes, I was tempted, but resisted the urge to put him in my car. The little ones were so fun to watch (though challenging to photograph due to the bouncing!).
See For Yourself
I encourage you to connect with Ledgeway Farm through their website. You can get the details on their annual open house, the hours their shop is open, and more information on their products. If your experience is like mine, you won’t be disappointed!
We’ll be off to a new town soon. Enter your email in the box below so don’t miss out. It’s an honor to have you come along with me as we explore the real Maine.
