Australian Woman Makes $1 Million in One Day Selling Soap in China

November 21, 2016

An Australian woman was among the many retailers who made bank during the Chinese shopping bonanza that is Singles’ Day.

In just 24 hours, Melbourne-native Danielle Di Pilla made a whopping $1 million on Singles’ Day by selling 350,000 units of her “Goat Soap” to eager Chinese consumers. Priced at $2.99 for a 100 gram bar, the product was a hit in a market saturated with rip-off products, in her second year selling on the Tmall Global platform.

As a pharmacist, Di Pilla came up with the idea for her soap in 2011 when she was looking for a product for customers who were seeking medication for eczema, psoriasis and other conditions that make their skin dry and itchy. In her research, she found that goat milk has the same PH level as human skin, making it an ideal remedy for dry skin. She then decided to acquire goat milk from farms nearby.

After doing well in Australia via Chemist Warehouse, she eventually launched a Tmall store which granted her product visibility to millions of Chinese online shoppers on Alibaba. Being able to sell her products to China on Singles’ Day was a huge boost for Di Pilla’s goat products.

“We’re very happy with the result; we did double (compared to) last year,” Di Pilla told News.com.au. “It’s opened up our product to the whole world.”

Di Pilla’s soaps, which come in different variants, are manufactured and shipped from Victoria using actual goat milk from a farm at Traralgon.

“The original Goat soap did really well, and from there we added six extra flavours,” she said. “Then we expanded the range to include body washes, lotions, creams, shampoo and conditioner. We started very slowly, at a pace we could afford.”

Di Pilla currently employs half a dozen family members which makes up about half of its workforce. The private company now has more than 40 products in its line and currently growing.

Share this Article