Welcome to our story
Tamarvale Soap - a boutique farm-based soap crafter.
Hi! I am Chrissy Carden-Holdstock, an individual with a passion for goats and creativity - put these two passions together, and you get Tamarvale Soap. Crafting soap makes me happy. I truly believe in the soothing power of natural, eco-friendly skincare and its ability to feed and nourish the skin. Good skincare comes from its roots - grass-fed, free-range goats. I am excited to share this journey with you, creating a great partnership with my soap and your sensitive skin.
My Mission
We are focused on producing natural, free-range goat milk soap using traditional handcrafted recipes suitable for sensitive skin.
My Values
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We believe in Kiwis, so we support locals.
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All-natural soap that is eco-friendly, cruelty-free, palm oil-free & nasty chemical-free.
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We guarantee no SLS
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Women-owned & operated
The Birth of Tamarvale Soap
From a young age, my daughter began to react to the soaps I bought from the supermarket. I tried out various brands but to no avail. Until it dawned on me - I already have goats, so why not make my own goat-milk soap? That is precisely what I did.
Through many years of research, I trialed and tested different soaps. Initially, I started making small batches for my daughter and family; slowly, this expanded to friends and local village markets. Many others shared the same experience as my daughter; once they tried my soap, their skin was the happiest it had ever been! Thus, the birth of Tamarvale soap occurred.
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I like to think outside the box. Through my research, I quickly differentiated myself from other soap makers. Palm oil is often used in soap making to harden the bar - however, I was not going to support the environmental impacts created by palm plantations.
This left me with a conundrum. What do I use instead? Trialing different traditional recipes, I decided on a combination of olive oil, coconut oil, and shea butter. I believe this is what sets my soap apart. These three ingredients, plus goat milk, have exceptional properties for the skin. By combining them all into one bar, it brings something special.
Tamarvale is the name my husband, and I selected. We both grew up on each side of the river Tamar between Devon & Cornwall. It’s a beautiful river with many significant ecological features. We use this name to remind ourselves to be stewards of the environment.
Meet The Team
Chrissy Carden-Holdstock
My soap journey started when my daughter began to severely react to store bought soap. I threw myself into years of researching and develping a great bar of soap for her and my family. I am passionate about different oils & butters and their ability to influence a great bar of soap that benefits the skin.
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I feel others should also have the option to purchase these bars of soap and experience the benefits it can bring.
Cupcake
Don’t let her sweet name fool you! Cupcake is full of spunk, sass, and mischief. She is the boss in the herd and is a no-nonsense kind of girl! Cupcake adores attention; she will be one of the first to come up for scratches and is the biggest show-off in the show ring - she prances around in the ring, just lapping up the attention!
When away from the show ring, she is a hard worker; she is one of our largest Nubian milk producers and has won milking awards. Plus, she produces the most adorable babies.
Jaylee
Food is life for Jaylee. She craves anything that is edible - this has led to her incredible talent. Fence-scaling! She passes through fences like water in a sieve. She has even been know to scale a combine harvester to sneak her favourite treats!
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Besides her Spider-Man skills, Jaylee is one of our top producers and has won many national awards for her milk. She is very affectionate with a big personality - this has made her Mr TamarVale's favourite!
Teagan
Yes, Teagan does produce the most adorable babies! Fun fact about Teagan: her girls have a name theme - tealight, teabird, teacake, teabread - like the Kardashians but better (we joke).
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Teagan has the sweetest nature, often bestowing lucky recpients with her kisses. She's thick as theievs with my 9 year old - content to join in with her adventures.