Grace Harbor Farms
Local farm does it all: soothing soaps & lotions and delicious dairy products.
My co-workers all know: I love goats! When I’m awwwing or giggling at something on the computer it is likely to be a video shared by a goat farmer. Or, how about that issue of Modern Farmer that was all about goats! In August 2015, there was one of those essay contests to win a goat farm; so tempting, but the farm was in Alabama (not so tempting).
But, I’m not the only one who thinks goats are awesome. The folks at Grace Harbor Farms, and their loyal customers, also know that goats and goat milk are something special.
Tim and Grace Lukens started making and selling goat milk soap at the Bellingham Farmers Market back in 1999, and soon after, they were fielding requests from their customers to expand the product line to include goat milk lotions. People were sharing stories about how the couple’s goat milk products were helping to clear up their skin problems, and before long Grace Harbor Farms was born.
Local Roots
Robin has roots in western Washington and many connections with small businesses in the area. She’ll occasionally provide local restaurants with a batch of veggies or provide herbs to businesses. For example, she sells herbs to Junebug Ferments in Bow to make into yummy probiotic concoctions. If you’re a beer drinker, keep your eyes out for Robin’s annual collaboration with Stone’s Throw Brewing. Last year’s beer was brewed with organic Ebb & Flow chamomile and calendula.
If you’re a beer drinker, keep your eyes out for Robin’s annual collaboration with Stone’s Throw Brewing. Last year’s beer was brewed with organic Ebb & Flow chamomile and calendula. Robin currently sells her dried herbs and veggies to Anacortes Food Co-op. She’s excited about the potential of selling to more co-ops in the area if she can ramp up production enough in the coming years.
The family-run business, based in Custer, has grown a lot since those early days, and so has the product line.
Co-op shoppers can find products sporting the Grace Harbor Farms logo in both the wellness and grocery departments.
In the wellness department, things are still very goat-centric with a variety of liquid and bar soaps, unscented Goat Milk & Honey Lotion, and the super-popular MSM Cream that folks use to find relief from a variety of problems like dry skin and joint pain. While over in the dairy cooler, cows are moooving in on the action with delicious buttermilk and yogurt from cow’s milk, and kefirs and milk from both cow and goat’s milk.
The farm itself has also transitioned from being very goat-centric to now being home to pasture-raised Guernsey and Jersey cows. The goats are raised and milked in Ferndale at Wil-O-Acres Goat Dairy, the very same farm where Tim and Grace got their first two goats back in the 1990s.
The family has always operated a creamery to bottle and package their dairy products right on the farm. In fact, Grace Harbor was the first farm-to-shelf yogurt kefir producer in Washington state. Their farm-fresh milk is pasteurized, cultured, packaged, and delivered to our stores by the Grace Harbor team.
Grace Harbor Farms is now transitioning to the second generation of the Lukens family, with David Lukens at the helm. From the look of things, David is running a super fun operation! This year Grace Harbor held its first Creamery Olympics and it appears that the participants had a blast competing in events like the milk crate hurdles, bottle toss, box-making relay, rack curling, and many more. Need a smile today? Then check out the fun Olympic coverage on their Facebook page.
In our eyes, Grace Harbor Farms wins the gold!
