Customer reaction to LAAARD !!

[Happysoap]

So, lets talk about lard !

I never got around to soaping with lard, but I was surprised to see how many soapers loooooove looooove loooooooove lard soaps and rave about the creaminess and benefits on human skin. It seems to be in one of the best loved soaping ingredients by soapers. Customers seem to have the opposite reaction. Lard seems to be one of the most off putting and disgusting ingredients around. I swear that the mention of lard sends them running away in panic. How do you deal with these customer reactions ?

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Here in Austria people love cooking with fats of all types, including lard (Schnitzel needs lard!) but when it comes to the idea of soap, they are really not keen at all.

I think I will just let people know and give them a wee test bar (half or quarter of a normal bar) and see what they think. If they won't even use it then I think that there is no convincing them!

 

[shunt2011]

I use lard sometimes. It is rare that customers even look at the ingredients in the soap. I've not yet had a problem with it being listed in my soap.

 

[pamielynn]

Two of my bestselling bars are lard bars. I've seen a couple of them react a slight bit (usually surprise) when they find out it's lard, but they already like and buy the bar, so I haven't heard any complaints about it, yet. And I think it depends on what you tell them about lard - yeah it has crappy "label appeal", but when you talk about WHY you use it, most don't have a problem with lard. But, I don't target my products to vegans, either... so that could make a difference.

 

[DeeAnna]

I don't shout it from the rooftops that I put lard in my soaps because it does have an undeserved bad reputation. The only people who seem hesitant about seeing lard in my soap are my crunchy friends. My soap made with dairy butter has given a few people some pause too. Most folks don't care -- they want a good smelling, gentle soapy soap that gets 'em clean.

If I sold soap in an urban area and had a large crunchy "natural" clientele, I suspect I'd have to make crunchy soap. As it is, I live in a rural area where hunting and fishing are popular and most folks know how good a lard pie crust tastes.

 

[ca_soap]

They won't use a soap made with lard but will drink kopi luwak. Figure that one out!

I proudly use lard in the majority of my soaps.

 

[Dennis]

Love lard! On occasion I will fry up a burger in lard and once a year or so I;ll fry some Spam in lard. MMMmm GOOD! Livin' on the edge!

 

[pamielynn]

I use lard to cook when I want to make "Waffle House" eggs

 

[Miz Jenny]

My lard soaps are fantastic but it severly limits my selling ability. I'm still going to make small batches, but not to sell.

Dennis, I use lard for all my frying, especially ground beef, because we only use local and it's way too lean. I do like chicken fried in coconut oil because of the flavor.

 

[SoapMakingTommy]

I dont have to much wrong with lard. I would not mind making some just to increase my products line and have a non vegan product. I might not even mind washing my skin with it, But i prefer plant based resources.

 

[TVivian]

Around here, one could never sell at a farmers market using animal products in the soap. Way too many "crunchys" everyone I've mentioned lard soap to cringe at the mere mention of it. Most all of the soap sellers have big signs shouting "VEGAN!" "NO ANIMAL PRODUCTS" etc etc.. It's annoying since most of the people I know, eat meat. It only makes sense to me not to use animal products if you don't eat them.

 

[green soap]

The not so simple solution is to have a separate line of soaps without animal oils. It is possible to make great creamy and luxurious soap with all vegetable oils, or even no palm. However, some luxury butters are needed in some amount to get more creaminess in the lather. This jacks up the cost of the soap. So you could sell the vegetable soaps for a little more, or sell them all at the same price but somehow make the vegetable ones smaller.

This will vary a little depending on where you live. Most of my regular customers would not touch lard or tallow soap with a ten foot pole. I even have those who object to goat milk in soaps. With a lot of people it seems to be more of an 'eeeewwww' reaction than an ethically based stance. However inconsistent or hypocritical this may seem, if you are in business, remember that 'the customer is always right'.

 

[songwind]

Well, you can call lard "pig tallow." Lots of people don't know what tallow is. Just say it uses tallow. Your average suburbanite customer will nod sagely like they know what's going on, buy the soap or not, and never suspect it have pig fat in it.

Alternately, you could say that you took inspiration from the Emiril Legasse show. (It's a pork fat thing! Food of love! Bam!)

Ahem. In all seriousness, if I needed to obfuscate the name, I would probably call it "animal shortening" or something.

 

[jblaney]

Green soap - what butters would you use to mimic lard? I love it and it's in my best recipe and nothing has come close to the creamy lather I get. I don't sell it and I know I can't where I live, but I would test a recipe and replace it with something to see if it was just as good. Shea butter felt draggy to me and I didn't like it at all.

 

[Obsidian]

Green soap - what butters would you use to mimic lard? I love it and it's in my best recipe and nothing has come close to the creamy lather I get. I don't sell it and I know I can't where I live, but I would test a recipe and replace it with something to see if it was just as good. Shea butter felt draggy to me and I didn't like it at all.

Have you tried 50% coconut milk in your non lard soaps? I find that it adds a nice creaminess.

 

[jblaney]

Obsidian - I have tried coconut milk a long time ago. I cant remember how I liked it. I try to stay away from coconut since I'm sensitive to it. I use Babassu oil in my soap to avoid it and don't use it in my body butter either since it made my skin dry and flakey. I have heard it makes a creamy lather and that's why I probably tried it. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[tyerod]

I have used lard since my first batch but then I don't sell it. If it wasn't for my wife I would use lard to cook with much more often. I would agree with calling it tallow or arming yourself with the properties that lard brings to the soap for an explanation of why you use it.

 

[nebetmiw]

It all depends on where you live. I can see a problem with AO in CA as many there are veggis or new agers ,animal right wingers ect.
Then we have the real farm states like mine where most want it in there soap and will not use a all veggi bar. So location and the mind set of the folks you are selling to will decided what oils you use for the soap you sell. But now with the big push to buy off the farm products that could change some for certain areas if education is done right.

 

[neeners]

i would LOVE to add lard to my bars. but alas, no one renders lard here and i'm not about to stink up my house for the sake of soap. i think my bf would leave me if i started doing that.....

btw - i don't understand why people freak out over lard, but clamour over bacon and bacon fat. bacon fat is just flavoured lard......

 

[Candybee]

One year I made and sold only soap with lard in it for the entire year. During that year I had 1 customer comment on it. ONE. Anyway, I make all kinds of soap and offer all veggie soaps and soaps that have animal fats in them; goat milk, lard, beef tallow, etc. That way I have something for everyone. My biggest seller by far is my lard soap so I am keeping it on the menu. The reason why it sells so well is because I always recommend it for a facial bar. Many customers buy it by the armload. I always sell out of lard soap at markets and craft shows.