About Us
Al-By Farm, LLC is located in Union City, PA. Our children, goats, chickens, cow and bees roam in fresh air and sweet sunshine. The pastures are filled with lush grasses, multi-flora rose, berry brambles and other native plants that make our livestock very happy.
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Our farm represents a marriage of not only husband and wife but a combined 7 generations of farming between the Alsdorf and Byler families (where the name "Al-By" originated). We share a passion for agriculture and the lifestyle it provides.
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We are a family-centered small farm. The children feed chickens, gather eggs and clamber on the milking stand with the goats at milking time. We sometimes take forever to finish our chores as there is always something to watch or do on a farm.
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We began milking LaMancha goats in 2012 when our son was experiencing severe excema; we found that drinking goat milk helped him. LaMancha's are known for their mild-tasting milk, tiny ears and pleasant demeanor. We soon tried our hand at making goat's milk soap and fell in love. Our skin has been so happy since!
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About Our Soap
Handmade soap is made by combining an acid: fat, oils or butters, with an alkali: sodium hydroxide (lye). The result is saponification; the fats/oils/butters retain their individual properties and the lye is neutralized. Thus, soap is made with lye but doesn't contain it. Oil based soaps bind to dirt and grease and rinse away without stripping the skin's natural oils and without leaving a residue.
Goat's milk is made of roughly 3.8% butterfat, 4% protein, vitamins, minerals, glycerin, enzymes and water. There are 13 vitamins in goat's milk: Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Nicotinic Acid, Vitamin B 6, Pantotheine, Biotin, Folic Acid, Vitamin B 12, Ascorbic Acid, Choline, and Inositol. Minerals include: Calcium, Phosphorous, Zinc, Sodium, Magnesium, Manganese, and Selenium. Enzymes in the milk such as Alpha-hydroxyl and lactic acid may help break down dead skin cells.
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We make our soap with minimal heating to maintain goat milk's natural glycerin, vitamins, minerals and enzymes. The water content of the milk is taken up by the lye and the fats are saponified. The glycerin, vitamins and minerals remain and are available to nourish the skin. Testing our patience, we cure every batch a minimum of four weeks to fully saponify the soap and allow each bar to harden.
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We strive to use ingredients that are readily available, sustainable and we buy as locally as we can. We scent our soaps with pure essential oils. No synthetic fragrances, colorants, or additives are ever used. We feel great about what's in our soap and you can too. Lather up!