Picture this: Two New York City guys buy a dilapidated goat farm on a whim, start making soap, and—fifteen years later—everyone’s whispering, “Are they going under?” Let’s cut through the rumors with some data, a little business backstory, and an honest look at what’s really happening at Beekman 1802.
The Rumor Mill Spins—But What’s the Real Story?
Fear is contagious. Whenever a recognizable brand gets quiet or a product drops off a shelf, Twitter and Reddit go hunting for closure rumors. But in Beekman 1802’s case, the “going out of business” whispers have zero footing. Not a bankruptcy filing in sight. No panicked inventory fire sales. On the contrary, the goat milk beauty brand is moonwalking forward—quietly confident and bigger than ever.
So, where are these rumors coming from? Maybe it’s the abrupt pivots or a nostalgia hangover from the company’s early barnyard charm. But if you check recent interviews or business filings, you’ll see one thing: Beekman 1802 is thriving.
The Company’s Current Status: Dollars, Staff, and Expansion
Let’s talk numbers—because numbers aren’t sentimental. By one reliable count, Beekman 1802 is now a multimillion-dollar operation. Picture this: retail sales topping $150 million (yes, you read that right) in 2023 alone. They’re not a mom-and-pop anymore. They’re a 220-employee force—bigger than a lot of regional banks.
Companies at this scale don’t go quietly into the night. Retail sales have consistently trended up, even after the COVID-19 rollercoaster. One former staffer put it bluntly: “It’s the busiest I’ve ever seen us, and we’re not talking layoffs. We’re hiring.”
This has led to something rare in beauty—sustained growth, even as competitors stumble or get swallowed by giants. If you’re an operator, you know what that means: they’re not just alive, they’re building muscle.
Retail Presence: Where Can You Actually Buy Beekman 1802?
Remember when you could only get their goat milk soap at the Sharon Springs mercantile or on QVC? Times have changed. In 2023, Ulta Beauty—the third-largest beauty retailer in the U.S.—named Beekman 1802 its “Skincare Brand of the Year.” That’s like being crowned prom king at a party you weren’t invited to ten years ago.
Their products now headline shelves in hundreds of Ulta stores nationwide. But that’s not the end of the story. You’ll bump into Beekman lotions and serums at airports (yes, even in the Hudson News section by the luggage tags), boutique hotels, and—get this—cruise ships.
The irony: the more people ask about a Beekman exodus, the more places the stuff keeps popping up. At large, the retail strategy is “meet customers where they’re already spending.” A QVC appearance is nice, but your aunt can grab a bottle in Terminal C now.
Cruise Ships, Airports, Hotel Rooms: The Brand Goes Global
If you thought selling at Ulta was the endgame, think again. Beekman 1802 has its eyes set on the wide world—and it’s not just lip service. Executives confirm they’re heading into brick-and-mortar retail, not just domestically, but in Asia, Australia, the UK, and Germany.
International expansion in the beauty sector isn’t for the faint of heart. Regulations, distribution bottlenecks, cultural quirks—each market is its own rodeo. But for Beekman 1802, the logic is pragmatic: Get the brand into the bathroom cabinets (and carry-ons) of as many people as possible.
Here’s a nugget from a recent investor memo: “Travel retail—airports, hotels, and cruise lines—delivers both brand cachet and global sampling.” Translation: Someone washes their hands in a Singapore hotel and gets curious. Suddenly, you’ve got a new convert, halfway around the planet.
The Big Brand Pivot: Skincare and Beauty Take Center Stage
But let’s address another source of confusion: Beekman 1802 started as a general lifestyle brand—artisan cheese, jams, home decor, the lot. Over time, the brand got strategic. The data was clear: Beauty and skincare (especially those goat-milk-based moisturizers and serums) were the real moneymakers.
So, starting in 2021, Beekman 1802 quietly ditched the eggs-in-every-basket approach. Cheese and pantry goods? Gone from the main site. Original values? Absolutely, but now expressed through bath, body, and skin—sectors with bigger margins, higher repeat purchases, and longer customer “lifetime value.”
A lot of brands try to have it all. Beekman 1802 went the other way. They picked their lane and pumped the gas. “It’s about focus without losing heart,” as one founder put it.
New Ownership, Familiar Faces: Who Runs Beekman 1802 Now?
Cue the next plot twist: In December 2021, a majority stake in Beekman 1802 was snapped up by a private investment firm. If that sounds dramatic, it isn’t. This was less of a hostile grab and more of a strategy play.
The stated goal was “to take the brand global”—translation: unlock more capital, access bigger distribution, and scale fast. The original founders—Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell—didn’t disappear. Instead, they stepped into what they call the “chief storytellers” role. Less time on spreadsheets, more time building the brand’s (slightly cheeky) mythos.
Here’s Brent on the transition: “We’re still involved, maybe even more than before—just not worried about shipping labels or point-of-sale bugs.” Investors get the operational horsepower; fans get continued founder magic.
Oh, and for the business nerds: When founders stick around post-exit, you’re less likely to see an immediate slide into the corporate abyss. The heart stays in the company, even if the checkbook has more zeros.
Customers Get Loud: Fan Concerns After the Big Sale
There’s a catch, though. Any time a beloved brand changes hands—or drops fan-favorite products—customers notice. For Beekman 1802, some longtime loyalists raised an eyebrow at small changes: “The hand cream feels a little different.” “Why did my favorite soap scent disappear?”
If you read through reviews and comment sections, you’ll see the full anxiety cocktail: Will my go-to products stick around? Is everything cheaper now?
Turns out, Beekman 1802 isn’t ignoring the critiques. The company’s issued public statements about recipe changes, ramped up direct customer support, and relaunched some “classic” formulas after enough feedback came in. Their policy: listen hard, admit when you slip, and don’t outsource customer care to robots (unless you love being roasted online).
Most crucially: Price points and ingredient quality haven’t collapsed. No 50%-off flash sales to keep the lights on. If anything, the average order value has increased — a sign, by one e-commerce consultant, “that you’re building loyalty, not running for cover.”
Beekman 1802’s Expansion Plans: Betting Big Overseas
The company isn’t shy about its next moves. With their domestic distribution humming, Beekman 1802 is pushing hard into international retail—real stores, real staff, real supply chain headaches.
First up: brick-and-mortar in Asia and Australia, two beauty markets notorious for tough entry and extra-high standards. There’s also a scouting plan for London and maybe even Berlin. Selling a $50 face cream overseas demands a nimble mix of local partnerships, marketing translation, and adapting product formulas to regional regulations. Still, the return can be unbeatable. “We see more upside than risk,” says the CFO.
It’s a gutsy play, given the number of U.S. indie brands who went abroad and fizzled. But when you’ve got resources—and a goat mascot that translates surprisingly well—why not go for broke?
For business owners watching from the sidelines, there’s a hard-won lesson here: Don’t wait until you’ve maxed out your home market. Sometimes scaling up—before you’ve hit a local wall—lets you leapfrog rivals. Pack your suitcase, as the saying goes, before you’re boxed in at home.
If you want to dig deeper into the nitty-gritty of how specialty brands scale worldwide, check out the stories and case studies at Blue Line Biz. You’re bound to find playbooks for your own growth (and a few cautionary tales, too).
The Bottom Line: The Goat Milk Soap Is Here to Stay
If you’ve stuck with me this far, here’s the punchline: There’s zero credible evidence Beekman 1802 is going under. Quite the opposite—they’re cash positive, employee headcount is ticking up, and there’s a flurry of retail launches underway. At large, the “is Beekman 1802 going out of business?” conversation says more about customer attachment than reality.
But that’s the catch for legacy brands with strong founder stories. Fans care deeply—and tend to fear the worst. Yet all the actual data, from retail expansion to international plans, tells the story of a business accelerating, not nosediving.
So, next time you hear a whisper about Beekman 1802 shuttering, ask yourself: Would Ulta name a dying brand “Skincare Brand of the Year”? Does a company with $150 million in retail sales worry about closures … or about running out of shelf space?
The beauty industry isn’t sentimental. It’s brutal, crowded, and obsessed with novelty. Only the disciplined survive. For now, the goats of Sharon Springs are safe—and Beekman 1802 is not just surviving but thriving, with no signs of slowing down. If you’re running your own venture, let this be a lesson: Don’t believe every rumor. Look at the numbers, watch the product, and see who’s staffing up.
It’s not about who burned brightest for a moment, but who keeps showing up in your shopping cart—and your travel bag—year after year.
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