Our Heritage
A Great-Grandmother's Recipe Meets Modern Innovation
A family story about doing things right, even when no one's watching. From Della's farmhouse bars to solar-powered small batches, The Gilded Goat is what happens when four generations refuse to buy what they can make better.
The Heritage
Della's Legacy
The story of The Gilded Goat began in the 1940s with my great-grandmother Della, who raised goats on her Southern Illinois farm. Living through the Depression, she learned to waste nothing and use everything nature provided.
Her goat milk soap wasn't just a product—it was a necessity born from resourcefulness and love. She discovered that the natural properties of fresh goat milk created the most nourishing, gentle soap she'd ever experienced.
Our Journey
Four Generations of Women Who Refused to Buy What They Could Make Better
Della Green Carlton
Born into an era when you made soap or went without. The Great Depression taught Della that creativity and generosity were currencies bankers couldn't destroy. Fed neighbors with scratch-made feasts, taught Sunday school, knew every kid by name. She made thousands of bars in her farmhouse kitchen with MacGyver-style ingenuity. Her rule: 'Do it right the first time, even when no one is watching.' She always knew when you took a shortcut.
The Knowledge Keepers
Della's daughters learned at her elbow during weekend soap-making marathons. When synthetics promised miracles, they quietly kept making the real thing. Neighbors still needed soap that didn't irritate farm-worn skin. Lois (born 1953) learned in oversized rubber boots, absorbing lessons that would wait decades to bloom.
The Wilderness Years
Lois kept Della's recipes alive in memory while life demanded other paths. Joshua, her miracle after 14 lost pregnancies, grew up on stories of great-grandmother's soap. The farm waited. The dream waited. Della's original farm was sold after her passing, but her lessons lived on in a family that never forgot what doing things right looked like.
The Homecoming
Joshua and Cory return home, bringing hospitality expertise and chemistry degrees to grandmother's recipes. Solar panels replace wood stoves. Tesla Powerwalls back up power that ice storms knock out for weeks. Beauty melts emerge from Della's base formula—reformulated for sensitive skin and a world ready for honest, authentic luxury. Billy the rescue goat guards the gate, determining visitor character with one look. Every bar is still made in small batches—because Della taught us that mass production is the enemy of intention.
Meet Your Quality Control
Billy the Guard Goat Approves This Message
Billy personally vets every visitor. She'll let you know if you're worthy of meeting the herd. These aren't factory farm animals—they come when called, prefer scratches to snacks, and yes, we're vegetarians who wouldn't dream of anything but cruelty-free.
We milk the goats ourselves. We grow the lavender. You can literally visit both. Try scheduling a factory tour at your department store brand.
" This isn't a marketing angle. This is Tuesday on our farm. "
Four Generations
Started During the Depression, Perfected in a Pandemic
Started when bankers destroyed currency and neighbors bartered soap for sorghum. Survived when synthetics promised miracles and everyone said natural was dead. Thrived when a miracle baby grew up to bring modern agriculture back to great-grandmother's recipes.
Della's motto: 'Do it right the first time, even when no one's watching.' We're still watching. Still doing it her way.
Small batches in state-of-the-art equipment, but with intention. We test everything ourselves daily. Slight defects become farm-store exclusives and worker holiday gifts. Major mistakes feed the compost. No compromises.
" Do it right the first time, even when no one's watching. "
Made in Rural Illinois
Where Opportunity Shouldn't Mean Leaving
Made where skilled labor is scarce and living wages are non-existent. So we train our own people, develop their skills, and pay them properly.
Every beauty melt funds on-the-job training for rural women and underserved community members who've been told their only option is to leave. Turns out, creating opportunity is harder than creating perfect soap. We do both anyway.
Formulated by people with diabetic skin, eczema, and psoriasis who got tired of products that didn't work. Powered by a 72-year-old who realized retirement wasn't going to fund itself.
" This is what happens when multiple generations decide to do something that helps them sleep at night. "
Meet the Team Behind the Glow
All goats are equal opportunity snugglers and treat dispensary inspectors. Billy reserves the right to refuse service to anyone with questionable vibes. No goats were harmed in the making of these bios, though several egos were inflated. Treats accepted at all gates.
Billy
Chief Security Officer & Director of First Impressions
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Billy
One month into the job and already running the place. Billy doesn't just greet visitors—she conducts character assessments that would make the FBI jealous. Convinced she's a guard dog trapped in a goat's body, she's the first to announce the mailman, the last to approve your entry, and 100% accurate in her judgment calls. Oh, and she's armed, so don't cross her or you'll get the horns. (Kidding—she's a giant teddy bear at heart who just happens to take perimeter security very seriously.) Rescued? Please. She clearly rescued us.
Blossom
Chief Herd Officer (CHO)
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Blossom
Our barnyard boss who treats every latch like a Rubik's cube and every fence like a suggestion. First to everything—feed, fence, and whatever you thought you locked properly. She's basically running a masterclass in 'How to Lead Without Thumbs.'
Snow
Director of Spa Operations
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Snow
The zen master who makes 5 a.m. milking feel like a meditation retreat. Snow could find her center in a tornado and still produce milk so perfect it makes other goats question their life choices. Unflappable, unbothered, moisturized, in her lane.
Rosebud
VP of Public Relations & Personal Brand
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Rosebud
If it wasn't on Instagram, did it even happen? Rosebud has never met a camera she didn't love or an angle she couldn't work. She has opinions about everything and a perfectly timed head tilt for every photo op. Currently ghostwriting her memoir: 'Eat, Bray, Slay.'
Sierra
VP of Vertical Integration
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Sierra
Why walk when you can parkour? Sierra believes gravity is more of a guideline and treats the farm like her personal American Ninja Warrior course. She's achieved flight clearance at heights that make insurance adjusters nervous.
Chanel
Senior Analyst of Vibes
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Chanel
The introvert's introvert who runs a thorough background check before accepting your friend request. Chanel operates on trust earned, not given, making her eventual head-bonks feel like winning the lottery. She's proof that still waters run deep and soft hearts hide behind careful observation.
Elvis
Director of Swagger & Follicle Management
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Elvis
Has left the building? Never. Elvis IS the building. With hair that defies humidity and moves that would make his namesake proud, he's mastered the art of looking good while doing absolutely nothing productive. Thank you, thank you very much.
Johnny
Chief Happiness Officer
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Johnny
Elvis's wingman and the farm's emotional support goat. Johnny believes every moment is improved by his presence (he's right) and that personal space is a myth. Professional meeting crasher, amateur comedian, certified good boy.
Packaging That Doesn't Pretend to Save the World
Recyclable Materials
No greenwashing. No plastic promises. Just materials your recycling bin actually wants.
Minimal Design
Less packaging, more product. Because your bathroom counter doesn't need another Instagram prop.
Sustainable Sources
We'd love to say it's all local, but southern Illinois doesn't have a thriving eco-packaging industry. Yet. So we source responsibly where we can't source locally. Progress over perfection.