Deb Shivvers of Plott Hollow Naturals.

Meet Deb Shivvers of Plott Hollow Naturals.

Tell me how you started in soap making.

I grew up on a farm in rural North Carolina and had a pet goat as a child. Her name was Loat the goat. Don’t ask me where I got that from, I was 7 at the time and that is what I called her. She was a little black nanny goat that followed me around like a dog. So when Mike and I bought our little farm, before we even closed on the place, I had already purchase 3 little nannies from a girl that agreed to keep them until we moved into our new house. This lady is now a dear friend to me.

Anyway once we started having goat milk, it just seemed like the natural thing to make. Neither Mike nor I are really milk drinkers and I have always loved using goat milk soap. I went thru a huge learning curve trying to learn on my own how to make real soap. Right when I was about to give up I found the Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild and started attending their yearly conference. Once I had that first batch turn out perfect, I was hooked! Now it is my passion, second only to my animals here on the farm. Many of our animals here are critically endangered breeds, but that is a whole other story for later.

Tell me about a project or experiment that you consider to be the most successful. 
My most successful project? Well I would have to say it has been our little farm and all its inhabitants. While researching chickens we discovered that there are many breeds of livestock and poultry that are on the brink of extinction. We decided then that we wanted to provide a home and refuge for as many of these breeds as we could. However, finding these breeds has proved a challenge, especially the donkeys.

The French Poitou Donkey is one of the most endangered breeds on earth. There are only an estimated 2000 of these Donkeys left in existence. So when I decided I had to have one, my hopes were dim that we could actually find one, much less one we could afford. After about two years of dreaming of this donkey, the stars lined up in our favor.

We were contacted by and elderly gentleman that has been breeding them for about 30 years. He wanted to reduce his heard and was more concerned with the quality of home we could provide than he was the price we could pay. We purchased two to start with, Marcel and Mimi. Mimi came to us pregnant and gave birth to Ambroise the following July. Shortly after Ambroise was born the gentleman contacted me again and told me he had an orphaned jenny that needed to be bottle fed. We immediately went and got her and brought her home. That little orphan is now Naughty Ophelia. We feel very blessed and accomplished to now have a herd of 4 French Poitou donkeys and to have this elderly couple as friends, actually they are more like family now. I plan to add donkey milk soaps to my line in the near future.These are more personal:

Do you have a specific goals? In one year? In two years?

My main goal has always been to educate people on the dangers of extinction for both wild and domestic animals. I currently take a few of my hens to elementary class rooms to visit and talk with the kids about the importance of preserving these heritage breeds. A lot of my goals are not necessarily soap related, but my soap helps me to reach these goals.

Next year I would love to be able to open the farm to field trips for the kids, but that takes a lot of insurance! Soap wise, next year my goal is to expand my line and add donkey milk soaps and lotions. I am currently still working on formulations and testing. Within two years I would love to do soap full time and hopefully have a brick and mortar store front located here at the farm, that is deeply rooted in the community. A place where friends and neighbors can come to pick up natural products, meet the farm inhabitants face to face and learn more about these breeds.

If we’re sitting here a year from now celebrating what a great year it’s been for you in soap making, what did you achieve?

We are celebrating the fact that my little farm now provides local jobs for several friends or neighbors who are packing and shipping orders all day long, while I work with several other employees making soaps and other products. Maybe guiding a field trip in between soap batches. My biggest celebration would be because I now employ a computer genius to handle that beastly machine! Oh and someone who loves to wrap and label soap would be a big celebration too!

What’s your superpower?
That is funny because my superpower is what my parents always considered a flaw! I am hard headed, tenacious and stubborn as a mule. If you tell me I can’t do something, well, just stand back a watch me prove you wrong.

Tell us about a time when soaping didn’t go the way you wanted. What was your “great catastrophe?

When I first starting making soap, I didn’t do test batches and I didn’t realize there is a big difference in the quality of many fragrance oils. I had purchased a barging fragrance oil and used it in 5 lb. bath of soap. It was a floral and went into the mold fine, but 20 minutes later it volcanoed up out of the mold, all over the counter and the floor. So I got to clean up 5 lbs of raw soap. Not fun, but a valuable lesson learned!

Do you get a lot of support from your family?

Yes, my hubby always encourages me. He is really impressed with my products and has provided the bulk of the financial investments. Our kids love my stuff too and talk it up all the time to everyone they meet. I have several out of state wholesale accounts that I credit our girls with sending my way. While I don’t have my parents any more, I have the best in laws on the planet! Anything they can do to help me they are always willing to do and NEVER say no.

Describe to me, your most memorable customer. Why was she/he memorable?

She is my neighbor. She purchase soap from me way back when I was first learning and has been my soap pimp ever since. She is always pimping my soap and has sent me countless customers. Plus since our first interaction we have become great friends as well.

All soap makers have them so tell me about your worst “lye burn.

I got raw soap inside my bra…………..need I say more?

What would you say are your 2 greatest weaknesses?

1. I am technically challenged; I hate anything I have to do on the computer. I wish there was a class somewhere you could take that could teach us antiques how to get with the times!
2. I am not the most organized person, sometimes I drive myself crazy!

How would your best friend describe you?

Energetic, outspoken and fiercely loyal.

If you had to give up ONE of your favorite foods, what would it be?

I already did potatoes. I love them, especially fried or stewed in butter!

Tell me about your soap. Your store name and its “brand” or philosophy.

Plott Hollow Naturals. Named after our farm, Plott Hollow Farm. (our farm was named after our Plott Hounds) I want to bring people the very best natural goat milk products possible but I also want my clients to understand what our farm is all about. I want them to feel like they are helping save the animals and like they are part of our farm family. We lost our male Plott Hound, Ely, last year to a brain tumor. It was wonderful having so many people concerned and supportive thru the whole ordeal. Our farm’s social media page created a huge extended family for us and our animals and I love that. It’s great that they can buy goat milk soaps and feel like they know the goats personally.

Where can your soap be found

• www.plotthollowfarm.com
• https://www.facebook.com/pages/Plott-Hollow-Farm/213677488648748?ref=hl
• https://www.etsy.com/people/PlottHollowFarm

What is your most popular soap:

 Donkey Smooch Take a walk on the wild side! Free spirited, grounding patchouli leaves, gently crushed give in to the soft seductive scent of neroli and sandalwood entangle with sweet agave nectar and dew kissed orange blossoms. Even those that don’t particularly care for patchouli love this one of a kind fragrance. I think it is so popular because Mimi, our oldest jenny is known for her big lips! Maybe they feel like they are getting a kiss from MiMi! Plus it’s a patchouli blend, anything patchouli seems to be back in vogue!