Well hello there, lovely people! We're absolutely buzzing with excitement here at Mother Clucking Farm Devon, and we just had to share what's been happening behind the scenes. You know how much we love our goats milk skincare products (seriously, our goats are basically celebrity divas at this point!), and now we're on a mission to get them into more hands across the UK.

We've been diving headfirst into the world of wholesale partnerships and stockists, and wow – what a journey it's been! If you're a fellow small brand wondering how on earth to get your products on shop shelves, stick around. We're sharing everything we've learned, the good bits and the slightly terrifying bits too.

Why We're Looking for Wholesale Partners

Here's the thing – we started Mother Clucking Farm Devon because we genuinely believe in the power of natural, goats milk skincare. When you've got products that can help people with problem skin feel confident and comfortable in their own skin again, you want to shout it from the rooftops! But shouting from our little corner of Devon only reaches so many people.

Our values haven't changed one bit: we're still all about those gorgeous natural ingredients, our Devon roots run deep, and helping people with problem skin remains at the heart of everything we do. We just want to spread that goodness further afield. Plus, there's something rather magical about walking into a local shop and seeing our products sitting proudly on the shelf – it makes all those early morning goat milking sessions feel extra worthwhile!

Our Trade Show Adventures (AKA Learning to Network Without Hiding Behind Our Goats!)

Right, let's be honest – the first trade show was absolutely terrifying. We're more comfortable chatting with our goats than a room full of potential business partners! But crikey, what an eye-opener it was.

Industry trade shows have become our secret weapon for meeting amazing stockists face-to-face. There's something special about being able to let people actually touch and smell our products, see the quality for themselves, and hear the passion in our voices when we talk about what we do.

Our top tips for fellow small brands tackling trade shows:

Do your homework first – We spend ages researching who's going to be there. Getting the attendee list beforehand means we can identify shops and stockists that would be perfect fits for our products. No point chatting to a heavy machinery supplier about goats milk moisturiser, is there?

Create a booth that tells your story – Our little display is packed with personality! We bring photos of our gorgeous goats, samples galore, and always have someone on hand who can chat about the actual process of making our products. People love hearing about the journey from goat to gorgeous skincare.

Follow up like your business depends on it – Because it does! We send personalized emails within 48 hours of meeting someone, reminding them of our chat and suggesting concrete next steps. No generic "lovely to meet you" messages – we reference specific parts of our conversation.

The Power of Our Network (Who Knew Chatting Could Be So Valuable!)

You know what's been absolutely brilliant? Discovering how many people in our existing network know exactly the right people! It sounds obvious now, but we spent months researching online when we should have been picking up the phone.

Our current suppliers have been goldmines of recommendations. The lovely folks who supply our packaging materials? They've introduced us to three fantastic independent health stores. Our accountant knows a buyer for a small chain of pharmacies. Even our vet mentioned a farm shop that might be interested!

For other small brands: Don't underestimate the power of simply asking! Most people genuinely want to help, especially when they can see you're passionate about what you do. We've joined local business groups, reconnected with old colleagues, and made it known that we're actively looking for stockists. The response has been overwhelmingly positive.

Detective Work: Finding Stockists Through Strategic Stalking (The Legal Kind!)

This bit's been rather fun, actually! We've become proper detectives, investigating how other brands similar to ours got their products into shops.

One Saturday afternoon, we visited every independent health store, farm shop, and boutique pharmacy within a 50-mile radius of Devon. Not just to browse (though we did treat ourselves to some lovely local honey), but to study the skincare sections. We looked at which brands were stocked, read the labels to see who distributed them, and chatted with shop owners about what their customers were asking for.

This "reverse engineering" approach has been brilliant! We've discovered several distributors we'd never heard of, and more importantly, we've learned what shops actually want. Turns out, many were actively looking for locally-made, natural skincare products but didn't know where to find them. Result!

Going Straight to the Source: Manufacturer Magic

Here's something we wished we'd known from day one – manufacturers are absolute treasure troves of information! The companies that make our gorgeous packaging and labels know loads of other small skincare brands, and they've been incredibly generous with introductions.

Some manufacturers have even offered to connect us with their other customers (with permission, of course) who might be looking for complementary products. It's created this lovely sense of community rather than competition, which fits perfectly with our values.

The Professional Help Route: Working with Experts

After six months of doing everything ourselves, we decided to work with a channel recruitment agency for a specific region we wanted to expand into. Best decision we made!

These specialists saved us weeks of research and vetting. Instead of us trying to figure out which stockists were financially stable and had good reputations, they presented us with a curated list of perfect matches. Yes, it costs more upfront, but the time saved and the quality of partnerships has been worth every penny.

What We Look for in Our Perfect Stockist Partners

We've learned to be quite choosy about our wholesale partners, and honestly, it's made all the difference! Here's what makes our eyes light up when evaluating potential stockists:

Alignment with our values – Do they genuinely care about natural skincare? Do they understand the benefits of goats milk for problem skin? We want partners who can talk passionately about our products, not just stack them on a shelf.

Customer service excellence – We've worked hard to build trust with our customers, so our stockists need to maintain those same high standards. We always check reviews and ask for references.

Fair pricing practices – We want our products to be accessible, so we look for partners who price fairly rather than adding massive markups that put our skincare out of reach.

Local community connection – Many of our best stockist relationships have been with shops that are genuinely part of their local communities. They know their customers personally and can recommend our products with confidence.

Building Relationships, Not Just Making Sales

The most successful partnerships we've developed have come from approaching potential stockists as future friends rather than just sales opportunities. We genuinely care about their businesses succeeding, and we're always looking for ways to support them beyond just supplying products.

We create beautiful point-of-sale materials, provide detailed product training, and we're always available for customer questions. Some of our stockists have become genuine advocates for our brand, sharing our story with their customers and providing invaluable feedback about what's working well and what could be improved.

Tips for Fellow Small Brands Ready to Take the Plunge

If you're sitting there thinking "this all sounds lovely, but where do I even start?", here's our advice:

Start local and build outward – Your local community is your biggest asset. Independent shops in your area are often more willing to take a chance on a local brand, and they'll become your testing ground for retail success.

Perfect your pitch – Practice explaining your products and story until you can do it naturally in under two minutes. We've found that passion and authenticity trump polished sales presentations every time.

Be prepared for rejection – Not every shop will be the right fit, and that's absolutely fine! We've learned to see "no" as "not right now" rather than "never." Some of our best partnerships happened on the second or third approach.

Quality over quantity – It's better to have ten stockists who love your products and sell them well than fifty who barely move any stock. Focus on building strong relationships with partners who genuinely believe in what you're doing.

The Reality Check: It's Not All Smooth Sailing

Let's be completely honest – this journey hasn't been without its challenges! We've dealt with stockists who didn't pay on time, shops that didn't store our products properly, and the occasional partnership that just didn't work out despite everyone's best intentions.

But here's what we've learned: every setback taught us something valuable about what to look for in future partners. Those early mistakes helped us develop better vetting processes, clearer contracts, and stronger communication systems.

The key is to stay true to your values throughout the process. When we've compromised on our standards to secure a partnership, it's inevitably led to problems down the line. When we've stuck to our guns and waited for the right fit, the results have been fantastic.

Looking Forward: Our Wholesale Dreams

We're genuinely excited about what's coming next! We're in conversations with several lovely independent health stores across the Southwest, and there's talk of partnering with a small chain of farm shops that share our commitment to supporting local producers.

The best part? Every new stockist means more people discovering the benefits of goats milk skincare. When we get emails from customers saying our products have helped with their eczema, or made them feel confident going makeup-free for the first time in years, it reminds us why we started this journey in the first place.

If you're a shop owner reading this and thinking our natural, Devon-made goats milk skincare sounds like something your customers would love, we'd absolutely love to hear from you! You can find out more about our wholesale opportunities on our main website, and if you want to understand why goats milk skincare is creating such a buzz, have a read of our piece about why goats milk skincare is a game-changer.

The world of wholesale partnerships has turned out to be far more collaborative and community-minded than we expected. Yes, it's business, but it's also about building relationships with people who share your values and want to help you succeed. And honestly? That feels pretty wonderful.

Here's to finding amazing partners, supporting each other's businesses, and getting more natural, effective skincare into the hands of people who need it. Cheers to that!