Martha Enriquez, on left, and Becky Jones stand behind their mother, Patricia Fix in front of Fix’s home on May 27. Their business, Pine Lane Soaps, is run out of Fix’s home.

Martha Enriquez, on left, and Becky Jones stand behind their mother, Patricia Fix in front of Fix’s home on May 27. Their business, Pine Lane Soaps, is run out of Fix’s home.
By Kelly Doran
Sun staff

Pine Lane Soaps is a growing business, run by a mother and two daughters out of her kitchen.

Patricia Fix asked her daughters, Becky Jones and Martha Enriquez, to make soap for Christmas presents for some of her friends from church about seven years ago. Her friends liked the soap so much they offered to pay for it, and Pine Lane Soaps was born.

Now, the three make more than 10,000 bars of soap a year. They emphasize to customers that their soap is to be used, not for decoration, because it is so good for them, Jones said.

“We really encourage our customers to make it the only soap they use, and they have benefited from that,” Jones said.

This year, Pine Lane Farm is featured as part of the Ohio Women in Agriculture Leadership Network Farm Tours, part of the Ohio Sustainable Farm Tour and Workshop Series 2015.

As part of that, there will be an open house on June 13 from 12-6 p.m. Visitors will be able to learn about the soap making process and sample some food made with goat milk, Enriquez said.

The soap is old-fashioned lye soap made with goat milk instead of water, Enriquez said. The goat milk, which the three hand-milk from their Saanen and Toggenburg goats, is high in fat so it is very nourishing.

There are no detergents or harsh chemicals in the soap, and the soap has a lot of oils. Also, many Pine Lane Soaps customers with eczema have had good results, Jones said.

Another reason the soap is so moisturizing is because the women leave glycerin in the soap, a product that naturally forms while soap making but that commercial soaps do not always have, Fix said.

They make the soap using a cold process, which means the soap is made with lye and does not need any external heat, Enriquez said.

After the soap is poured into a mold, it takes four to six weeks to harden and for some of the lye to go out, Fix said. Soap making is a very time consuming process.

Once the soap is ready to be sold, the three wrap it in compostable packaging, Enriquez said.

The three make about 35 different fragrances, including beer soap and wine soap, Enriquez said.

The entire soap making process is done on Fix’s farm in Jackson Township, which has been in the family since 1959 when her father bought it.

The five ounce bars cost $5, or five for $20. They make bulk and special orders as well, Enriquez said.

Those interested can purchase Pine Lane Soaps at Sew and Sew in Batavia, River Village Shoppe in New Richmond, That Shop in Milford in Milford, All About You Salon in Batavia, Cincinnati Nature Center in Milford, Jungle Jims in Eastgate, Louiso Feed in Eastgate and The Colorful Cupboard in Amelia.

In addition, the three welcome groups for tours or for meetings. They enjoy teaching others about the farm and about soap making, Enriquez said.

For more information, go to pinelanesoaps.com, view “Pine Lane Soapers” on Facebook or call 513-260-4352.