Emma Jopp is a 15 year-old Becker teen who is running her own business making goat’s milk soaps. Her business is called Farm Girl Soaps and she is currently selling her products at PS I Love You consignment shop in Big Lake. Her products are all natural, and made by animals that she milks and cares for herself. 

Learning to Make Soaps

Emma got her first goat in fall of 2019, but it wasn’t until April of 2020 that she started learning to make soaps from goat milk. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she found herself bored and wanting to pick up a new hobby. Since she already had the goat’s milk, she decided to research making soaps from it. She watched tutorials on YouTube, and subscribed to several different forums in the soaping community. She found that she really enjoyed the process of making the soaps, and started looking for ways to share her product.

Starting a Business

In summer of 2020, a friend of Emma’s mother had a garage sale, and Emma decided to use the opportunity to try selling her soap for the first time. It was a success, and she sold nearly all the products she had brought. So Emma started looking for other ways to sell her product. She set up a stand at the Becker Farmers’ Market and had great success there, as well.

Eventually, she found a post on one of her Facebook forums from the owner of PS I Love You, who was looking for someone who could make goat milk soaps to sell in the consignment shop. Emma replied, and the two entered into an agreement. Farm Girl Soaps are available at the shop today.

All Natural Soaps

Emma’s soaps are very special, and not just because of the entrepreneurial spirit she puts into her business. Her soaps are completely natural, without harsh chemicals or scents. She makes them through a “cold process,” which makes it different from soaps available in department stores. Large brands are technically classified as “detergent” by the FDA. Emma’s soaps, in comparison, are true soaps, and will be much easier on the skin than the large brands.

Growing the Business

Emma is putting some of the money she makes into saving for college, but a lot of it is going into growing her business. She hopes to purchase more equipment to help in her soaping, and she also hopes to offer online shopping in the near future. 

Further down the road, Emma would like to sell her products at more locations around the community, such as at coffee shops. She’d also like to try making new products, such as shampoos and baby soap. One day, she says she would love to open her own shop.

Emma had a few people in her life who helped show her how to run a business, but for the most part the entrepreneur did all the research on her own. She certainly will have great success in the future.

For more information, see the Farm Girl Soaps Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/Farm.Girl.Soaps.MN.