Sourcing Goat Milk from Jakupica and Dautica for Soap Production

Irena Andonoska is another woman on the long list of local heroines who do small things of great significance for the promotion of tourism in Macedonia. With her story, which she began writing, she is a motivator for many young people who are considering starting their own businesses.

She graduated as a biochemist-physiologist and entered the world of soap-making as a woman who handcrafts homemade soaps from various essential oils such as calendula, argan, St. John's wort, jojoba, avocado, and neem. What is most important for our team is the fact that she sources the milk from livestock farmers in Jakupica and Dautica. Additionally, she exclusively makes some of the macerated oils from herbs collected in Jakupica and Dautica.

Upon graduation, Irena decided to use chemistry in its true sense, as a science that offers vast opportunities for experimentation and development. As a child, she always enjoyed playing with shampoo bottles and cream jars. Today, her love for nature, natural ingredients, and her studies have helped her build her story called "Glow Natural."

Her products are made from basic ingredients such as shea butter, honey, propolis, and whey, and their uniqueness comes from natural decorations and various molds.

Irena is happy to have a wide range of products. These include soaps, creams, serums, balms, shampoos, lotions, and many other products with a wonderful scent, thanks to 100% pure essential oils. The goat milk and herbs used in her products come from the cleanest areas of the pastures in the Jakupica and Dautica mountain ranges, which for her represents support for local farmers in Macedonia and a guarantee that people are purchasing homemade products.

As for the habits of local consumers, according to her, the population has started to orient itself towards the use of natural cosmetics and to appreciate the effort dedicated to soap-making, which is quite complex.

We asked her about the process of soap production, and Irena answered that the most fascinating part is the wide range of materials. The soap-making process itself is a chemical process she learned through her studies. In addition to many other factors, key roles are played by temperature, pH value, quantities, and types of ingredients, all complemented by the right literature, formulation, experimentation, and numerous experimental doses completed in a bucket, leading to the final product, she explained.

The soap-making process is impossible without NaOH and oils such as calendula, argan, St. John's wort, jojoba, avocado, neem oil, milk thistle oil, as well as butters like shea butter, clays, honey, propolis, whey, lanolin, hydrosols, and others. These materials are often not available in Macedonia, so they need to be sourced from abroad for that reason.

Irena's products can be found on Instagram: glownatural1, Facebook: GLOW Natural, and soon on "Kajak Bakalnica," which will be a newly opened base on our platform.