My Story

2020 was a rough year for everybody and having a farm to concentrate on was very helpful after having covid-19 and fighting for my life in the ICU. Many of you can relate to the suffering and tragedies that struck many families. My life took a turn and I realized that being home and working on the farm was my joy. I love to be outdoors every day on the farm and taking care of my chickens & ducks along with working in my greenhouse and gardens. 

Making 100% handmade soaps has become a natural addition to my farm because making soaps that are vegan, 100% natural, paraben-free, non-toxic, non-GMO, and with 100% natural essential oils and animal cruelty-free is very important to me and the health of my customers and family. 

My handcrafted soaps offer a long-lasting lather, soothing scents, feeling clean, soft, and healthy. As a mom of six grown adults, I know how important it is to take care of your skin without all the chemicals. I hope you will enjoy Seeds of Hope Soap, by Grupido Country Living.

Faith is taking the first step when you can’t see the stairwell. Starting GAB Social Solutions and Seeds of Hope Soaps by, Grupido Country Living Farm LLC wasn’t quite a blind step for me, after working as an entrepreneur for over 30 years I could see the wall at least. In 1984 I opened my first business, Busy Bee House Cleaning. After growing it from a single person to a nine-person cleaning service and into a profitable small business I sold my share to my business partner to commit myself to raise my family. Having six kids takes a lot of work and organizational skills, but I guess that wasn’t enough for me!

I opened my business in 1994, Wheat’s Wear Embroidery. By 2000 Wheat’s Wear Embroidery had grown and changed names to Wheat’s Wear School Uniforms, with my second business name, One Stop Shop Embroidery & Screen Printing, and my third Scrub Up Medical Scrubs & Supplies. All with the help of my own marketing and sales strategies and my first ever website services. 

Tragedy struck in January of 2006 when I was diagnosed with Lupus and began chemotherapy. I kept my small businesses open and running for four more years, then at the insistence of my doctor, I closed up shop. Having leftover products from the store though, I set up my own home online shop to clear out the inventory. My own strategies had to grow as the technology we used evolved. The days of fliers and ads at the movie theater were flying by. If I wanted to get people to stop by my new online shop, I needed to evolve with the times.

You see the steps here are made of the ever-changing landscape of social media. So, I grabbed the railing, looked at the wall I had already built from years of running and marketing my own small businesses and started to climb the stairs of social media and website building. I had faith that while I may not be able to do the work I once did thanks to my illness, I could make social media work for me. So I’ve been learning and growing my strategies as the world around us does ever since. Follow Barb Grupido’s steps and have faith that GAB Social Solutions will help you make it to the top of your own proverbial staircase. 

 Living life with sustainable small 2.5-acre hobby farm procedures and love my small piece of heaven in Ortonville, MI in zone 6a.

We have 80 assorted Chickens and a rooster and 25 beautiful Ducks. We raise meat Turkeys for Thanksgiving. 

I make my own soap with natural ingredients and essential oils. Loving my greenhouse that my hubby built for me and I have been growing seeds for myself and other customers. It’s such a joy! Gardening is my peace and it grounds me and keeps me outside.

We have Bees for 7 years I have a friend that takes care of them for me because the frames can be quite heavy.

My small farm, Grupido Country Living has grown so much in 2021, not only do I sell my Chicken and Duck Eggs, produce, and Herbs from my front porch but now I make my own Soap! I love making Soap, Bath Salts, and Bath Bombs. I have been participating at the local Farmers Market and it has been a fun success! I have repeat customers that love my soap products and I use them every day too!  

Thank you for reading my story!