Like many small businesses, Muscadine Cottage began as a solution for a family, in this case, the Wallace family, and quickly snowballed into a full-time gig. Amanda and Barry Wallace own Muscadine Cottage Soap Company, which makes natural laundry soap, bar soap, creams and more. Amanda began making soaps after finding out their son had eczema. “We wanted to change anything that would touch his skin,” she says, which is why she started making laundry soap, “he hasn’t had a flare up since.” “Your clothes are on your skin all day and people don’t think about that,” says Barry.
None of the products have preservatives and there are a few different lines of products including vegan plant based, tallow based or goats milk based. All of the scents come from essential oils. Wild Orange & Patchouli is their biggest seller. And yes, the colors are mineral based, making them all natural too. The Wallace’s have converted their garage into an at-home studio complete with temp control for the long process of soap making. The bar soap, for example, takes 30 days to cure.
Amanda began selling her products back in 2018 but officially launched Muscadine Cottage in 2023, becoming frequent fliers at the Moore County Farmers market. Now, their products are in local shops like Against the Grain and Willabee. You can order online, where they ship to all 50 states, or opt for a local pickup option.
So why is it called Muscadine Cottage? Amanda has always been into skincare, so she knew all about antioxidants. When researching for the company, she found that muscadine grapes have a ton of antioxidants and they’re native to North Carolina so muscadine grapeseed oil is included in all of their products.
Both Amanda and Barry are prior military and agree that the best part of having a small business is putting their family first. “Being in the military was a rewarding job but it was difficult feeling like our family was always coming last,” says Amanda. “It’s important for people to know you can do a business, love what you do and still spend time with your family,” says Barry.
