Born out of a love for goats - Minglewood Goat Farms

Jul. 22—RUSH COUNTY — If you have visited the Farmers' Market in Rushville, you probably have seen the vendor booth of Minglewood Goat Farms with skincare products and the smiling face of LeeAnn Tellas.

Minglewood Goat Farms came into being in 2011, born out of love for goats, health needs of the family and the desire to teach her children life lessons.

"Minglewood Goat Farms came about in two different ways: Our love for goats and our children having eczema and sensitive skin," Tellas said. "Living in the country and having the opportunity with my husband working on a farm, we wanted to have some livestock of our own to get our kids into 4-H and teach them hard work and responsibility."

"After some research, goats seemed like the best fit. In 2011, we bought our first goats and immediately fell in love. In 2015, after dealing with our kids' sensitive skin, prescription creams and expensive soaps, we decided to put the goats to work and I started formulating recipes for goat's milk soap," Tellas added.

In 2014, the Tellas family started raising meat goats.

"In 2017, we gave it all a name and I started selling my goats milk soap," Tellas said. "We currently sell goats for meat, breeding and pets. We also sell eggs, and in the summer, we sell tomatoes and peppers."

The farm has gone from two goats in 2011 to anywhere from 40 to 80 goats in 2024, depending on the time of year. Boer goats, fainting goats, a couple dairy goats and chickens can all be found at Minglewood Goat Farms.

Running the farm and business also has its challenges.

"Our biggest challenge is the rising cost of all of our supplies and trying to keep our products affordable. Since we started, the cost of feed for goats, raw materials for soap and shipping have increased significantly," Tellas said.

Despite the challenges, the rewards and memories being made make it all worth it for the Tellas family.

"Having my three kids grow up on a farm has by far been the best part of all of this. They've learned so much about life without even realizing it," Tellas said. "If you're sick or if it's raining or there's a foot of snow on the ground, your livestock still depends on you to care for them. It really has been a family effort with them helping feed, give shots, clean pens and deliver babies."

The first time baby goats were born on the farm is something that will remain in the memories of each member of the family.

"Another fond memory was when, during a snowstorm and subzero temperatures, all of our goats went into labor at the same time, and we ended up with 25 babies in the house with all of us drying them off and warming them up," Tellas said.

In the early stages, Minglewood Goat Farms produced just soap, but operations have expanded to produce several skin care items including lotion, body spray, lip balm, lotion bars, deodorant, sugar scrubs, body butter and, of course, goats milk soap.

"A few things keep me enthused about Minglewood, my love for caring for and spending time with the goats and making healthy and high-quality products that are good for your skin," Tellas said. "But my favorite is setting up at the farmers' market and getting to make connections with my customers. I've met many people over the years that started out as customers, but quickly became friends."

In addition to the Rushville Farmers' Market, Minglewood Goat Farms products are available at Still Stylish Consignment in Rushville and through Minglewood Goat Farms' Facebook page.

The entire family has played a key role in the development of the farm and the products it produces. Leeann, husband Willie, daughter Cassidy, son Dylan and daughter Althea have all played vital roles in the development of the farm.

"We are a family operation with everyone helping with the goats. While I'm the only one that makes the skin care products, the family does help with packaging and setting up at the farmers' market," Tellas added.

Contact Aaron Kirchoff at [email protected].