It is the co-op’s vision to support and strengthen community connections with our local producers — so here are their stories! In this Meet Your Producer series, we will highlight our neighborhood farmers, ranchers and producers so you can see and hear what they’re all about.
Summit Hill Farm and Gardens
Patsy Smeed
Chanute, KS
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About the Producer
Patsy Smeed’s approach to soapmaking has remained remarkably personal, even as her craft has grown. She began making soap with her grandmother on her farm as a child. Using the fat from their animals mixed with lye, they created a pure white soap for their family’s everyday use.
She’s been making soaps ever since.
Each bar is a unique recipe, made with different ingredients for different people’s skin, rather than a base recipe with ingredients added in. She now makes more than 50 different bars for a wide variety of uses, scents and benefits.
When a friend going through chemotherapy needed something for her delicate skin, Patsy created Snow White’s Secret. Recently, she’s been experimenting with persimmon powder for its odor-controlling properties. “I’ve made bars for certain people over the years too. I always thinking about certain people when I’m making a bar.” That connection to people is part of what Patsy enjoys most about soapmaking.
“There’s always some exciting new product with some incredible skin benefit to try. That’s a fun aspect of it too — Morocco, Brazil, these ingredients come these other countries and it gives you a global tie — we’re really global anymore. We’re not just this little place in Chanute. That’s such a cool thing to be part of the whole big picture.”
Events at Summit Hill Gardens
Patsy also welcomes visitors to her Summit Hill Gardens through her event space and an Airbnb. “I’m able to use the whole place, and it’s nice to use and do things on the whole property. I love it here. I’m pretty lucky that way.” Her extended community books weddings, prom parties, graduation parties, memorial services and more.
“With the Airbnb, I offer experiences. If guests want to, they make a batch of soap, or bath bombs or sugar scrubs — the whole thing, start to finish. People are curious about that process, and it is rather magical.”
From making soap with her grandmother as a child to welcoming visitors into her home and sharing the craft with her community, Patsy's work is about making something with care and inviting other people to be part of it.
Find Summit Hill Gardens soaps at the co-op!
