Five years ago, we walked away from the life we had in Myrtle Beach. We sold what we could, packed what mattered, and moved to Great Falls with a vague idea about goats and a strong feeling that we needed to build something with our hands. We didn't have a business plan. We had a piece of land, a lot of questions, and a hunch that the work would teach us what we needed to know.

This is how The Hudstead came to be.

What We Left Behind

Myrtle Beach was home for years. We had jobs, routines, a house that made sense for the life we were living. But somewhere along the way, the hustle stopped feeling like forward motion. The busyness was constant, but it didn't connect to anything we could see or touch at the end of the day.

We started talking about what a different life might look like. Not as an escape, but as a real alternative. We wanted to grow food, raise animals, and do work where the results were visible. We wanted our kids to see how things are made, not just how they're bought.

In 2018, we made the move.

The First Year in Great Falls

Great Falls is a small town in South Carolina, about an hour north of Columbia. When we arrived, the property was raw land with potential we couldn't fully picture yet. We started small, the way you have to when you're learning as you go.

We brought in chickens first. Then goats. We made a lot of mistakes that first year. We built shelters that needed rebuilding. We learned which fences work and which ones just keep you busy. We figured out that farming is less about having a plan and more about solving the problem in front of you, then solving the next one.

The work was harder than we expected. It was also better.

What We Raise and Grow Now

Today, The Hudstead is a working farm with Nigerian Dwarf goats, chickens, and livestock guardian dogs. We sell what we raise and make, directly to people who want to know where it came from.

Our goats produce milk that we use to make soap, shampoo, and skin care products in small batches. The milk is raw, the recipes are simple, and everything is made here. We also raise Great Pyrenees and Anatolian Shepherd puppies, bred to protect livestock. These dogs are working animals, and they go to families and farms that need that particular kind of steady, fearless temperament.

We keep chickens for eggs, which we sell fresh. The work changes with the season, but it follows a rhythm we've come to rely on.

Why We Make Goat Milk Products

When we started milking goats, we had more milk than we knew what to do with. We didn't want to waste it, so we started making soap. The first batches were rough, but we kept at it. We learned how to get the texture right, how to add scent without overpowering the natural character of the milk, and how to make something that people would want to use every day.

Goat milk is gentle. It has fat and protein that are good for skin, and it doesn't dry you out the way some commercial soap does. People with sensitive skin often choose it for that reason. We make unscented versions for babies, and we make bars with scents like lavender and cedar for everyone else.

The process is simple. We milk the goats, strain and cool the milk, then mix it with oils and lye to make soap. It cures for weeks before we cut and wrap it. Every bar comes from our goats, our hands, and this farm.

What Farming Has Taught Us

Farming is humbling. You can work hard and still lose a crop to weather. You can plan carefully and still have an animal get sick. The work teaches you to notice small things, to move at the speed of the season, and to accept that some problems don't have clean solutions.

It's also taught us what we're capable of. We've learned skills we didn't have five years ago. We've built structures, delivered baby goats, formulated recipes, and figured out how to run a small business without losing sight of why we started. Our kids have grown up doing chores that matter, not because we told them to, but because the animals depend on it.

The work connects us to the people who buy from us, too. When someone orders soap or picks up eggs, they're supporting a family that's trying to do something real. That exchange matters to us.

What's Next for The Hudstead

We're still growing. We're refining our product line, improving our systems, and learning how to do this work more sustainably. We're not trying to scale up into something unrecognizable. We want to stay small enough that we know every goat by name and every batch of soap by feel.

We're here in Great Falls, doing work that feels honest. If you've thought about where your soap comes from, or whether the eggs you buy were laid by chickens that actually go outside, or what it takes to raise a dog that will protect a flock without being told, we'd be glad to tell you more.

Questions People Ask

Why did you choose Great Falls?

We were looking for land we could afford and a community that felt right. Great Falls is small, quiet, and far enough from the coast that the pace of life is different. The land here is good for what we wanted to build.

Was it hard to leave your old life behind?

Yes and no. Leaving what's familiar is always hard. But once we started building something with our hands, the pull to go back faded. The work here is harder, but it's ours in a way the old life never was.

What do you wish you'd known before you started farming?

We wish we'd known how much we didn't know. We also wish someone had told us that you don't need to have it all figured out before you start. You learn by doing, and the mistakes teach you faster than any book. If we'd waited until we felt ready, we'd still be in Myrtle Beach.