Washington Co., WI – Every year when the Washington County Fair rolls around, Kerrieanne thinks back to where it all started. Long before Ollie Skincare had a name, a product line, or a table at the Farmers Market, it was a 4-H project. Kerrieanne’s kids were active in Washington County 4-H for years, taking on a wide range of projects from cake decorating, poultry, legos, woodworking… Eventually, they decided to raise dairy goats.
“That’s really where all of this comes from,” Kerrieanne said. “The fair, 4-H, the kids picking a project — none of it was supposed to turn into a business. It was just what they wanted to try that year.”
Raising goats for 4-H led the whole family into milking, and milking led to soap. What started as a practical way to use the milk the family was producing became a hobby, then a skill, then something Kerrieanne kept doing even after the kids moved on to other interests.
“My kids have since decided they don’t want to raise goats anymore,” Kerrieanne said. “But by then I was committed to the soap. I wasn’t ready to let that part go.”
Rather than end the business when the family stopped keeping goats themselves, Kerrieanne found a new source: a dairy farm in Clintonville now supplies the milk that goes into every batch of Ollie Skincare soap.
The business has grown well past soap alone. Ollie Skincare now makes a small line of skincare products, including a Vitamin C serum and a makeup remover, alongside the soap that started it all. The products are sold at area markets, including the West Bend Farmers Market, where Kerrieanne talks with customers directly about how the business began.
For Kerrieanne, the Washington County Fair each year is a reminder of exactly how far a simple 4-H project can go. “You never know which project is going to stick,” Kerrieanne said. “For us, it was the goats. And here we are, still making soap because of it.”
Ollie Skincare products are available at the West Bend and Slinger Farmers Markets. For more information, visit ollieskincare.com or contact team@ollieskincare.com.
