Meet Madeleine Albright-Caldwell | Mom & Maker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Madeleine Albright-Caldwell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Madeleine, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Starting Milk Maker Collective was actually something that came about around 3am, roughly 2 months post-partum.

I had been looking at my options for breastmilk jewelry, and everything was so out of my price range, as a new stay-at-home-mom, figuring out how to navigate one income for the first time. So I decided..”let’s make your own, you can totally do it!”. And then I did, and I continued to make more, figuring out how to perfect it.

Once I got the hang of it, I decided to make some for some local girls at an affordable cost. This jewelry being affordable was something I cared so deeply about, I think every mom, grandma, aunt, uncle (etc.) deserves to have a piece of keepsake jewelry if they want it! Preserving your breastfeeding journey, ashes, pregnancy tests, and the list goes on..shouldn’t have to cost you a fortune.

Milk Maker Collective was born..for the breastfeeding moms, formula feeding moms, grieving moms, and well, anyone who has a memory they want to cherish forever.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Keepsake jewelry is a labor of love, a piece of my heart goes into every piece of jewelry I create. I have such a passion for making these pieces, from the extensive research I’ve done to make sure this jewelry is preserved properly for my customers, to listening to the stories behind the pieces I’m creating. Building this business has been challenging, but also so rewarding at the same time. As someone who has never owned a business before, I think navigating everything on my own, and building our business from scratch was the most difficult part of the process.
If anyone ever wants to know why they should choose Milk Maker Collective it’s simple…we truly are a collective. We have a piece of jewelry or product for everyone, and we are a space for all. Everything we do at MMC is with love, kindness, and compassion. I don’t for a minute take what I do/make lightly.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My best friend lives states away so this is an easy one…
If we’re looking for a place to eat, our go-to places are:
Platt Daddy BBQ
Chicks on the River
Tiramisu
and 8te open

Things do to:
Krazy Town Trampoline park
Quincy Children’s Museum
Scottie’s Fun Spot
or hit up local rodeos and races!

Drink spots:
Quincy Brewing Company
The Pourhouse
and of course Carter’s Coffee Bar

And if we’re in the mood to shop (we always are) we check out The Wearhouse for us, or Raindrops and Sunshine for the kids!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would love to dedicate my shoutout to my boys, Beck and Wavy for making me a mama, and also my husband Tyler..who is my biggest supporter in all that I do, and for not questioning me when I said I wanted to make jewelry for people out of their breastmilk (lol).

Website: https://www.milkmakercollective.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/milkmakerco

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/milkmakercollective?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
Limitless Photography by Christine
(family photo)