Say Goodbye to “Sandalwood”

This reminds me of a Billy Joel song but it’s unfortunately true. The cost of pure sandalwood essential oil is so high we can no longer carry it. Going forward, we will be producing soaps and lotions with our usual high quality fragrance oils which are incredibly accurate. There is, however, nothing more heavenly than 100% unadulterated plant essential oils. Apparently, after recent talks with a few of my fragrance and essential oil vendors, the tree is becoming endangered and it already takes up to thirty years to produce a true sandalwood essential oil for cosmetic use. There is nothing quite as magical as sandalwood essential oil. Just thinking of it transports me in time and space. If anyone out there wants to spend around $30 for a bar of soap let me know. I’ll gladly make it.

FYI sandalwood east indian essential oil is currently running about $1200/lb.

“Green” Shopping Bags

From Project Green Bag; a good article. Based on this, we are going to stay with paper for a while and then invest in cotton bags when we run out. Polypropylene is definitely not what we want (made from oil)  and they are manufactured in China. Please re-use your paper bags for at least a couple of uses.  It’s better than the “eco-friendly” bags which are not biodegradable.

Why Not Poly Shopping Bags?

You may think you are “going green” and helping the environment by buying those cheap polypropylene bags you see in the grocery store, but here are some things to consider before you make that purchase.

What is Polypropylene?

Polypropylene a synthetic resin that is a polymer of propylene – used for making ropes, fabrics, and molded objects. It is a thermoplastic. It actually is a by-product of the oil refining process.

Health, Safety and Environmental Issues:

Plastic represents a 14 to 22% in volume of solid waste. It can be melted and recycled, making it a thermoplastic elastomer but the recycling process degrades the properties. Another difficulty is the management of plastics. The manufacture of the polymer at high temperatures can release irritating vapors to the respiratory system and eyes. At this time there is no known effect from chronic exposure to this product.

Non-woven Polypropylene Bags:

• Are made from an oil-based product & will live in the landfill right next to the plastic grocery bags for 500 years.
• They are difficult to separate from other materials for recycling.
• They are manufactured in China and shipped thousands of miles across the ocean.

How Can You Help?

• Purchase bags that are made from natural, biodegradable materials.
• Even better, buy reusable bags made from organically grown cotton.
• Buy a set of bags for your friends – encourage them into “going green”.

Tips For Using Your Bags:

• Put “Bags” on the top of your grocery list.
• Buy a bag you actually want to use, one with style.
• Leave the bags by the front door or on the door handle.
• Purchase two sets of bags and leave one set in the car.
• Cloth reusable bags can hold more and are easier to carry.
• Change your habits and you’ll soon be feeling less guilty.

Source: http://ecogreenloop.com

Recycling Today Media Group – Recycling Today magazine. : Current Issue PET Heats Up

Interesting article about cotton shortage NOT resin as the driver for recycled PET bottle uptick.

Recycling Today Media Group – Recycling Today magazine. : Current Issue PET Heats Up.

Patch.com-West Hollywood

Check out Vanessa at the Craft Riot. Despite a small crowd we did well and had a great time meeting some exceptional customers.

http://westhollywood.patch.com/articles/wehos-craft-riot-attracts-unique-vendors#video-3710799

It’s All About the Soap Dish

We’ve been thinking lately about the irony and surprise of building a company based on producing the best quality soap around and then having nearly 70% of our sales lately go to soap dishes. Clearly, there is a demand and we must listen. Apparently, there is a niche, void, whatever you want to call it, and in honor of this new lesson, we have expanded our bath accessory line. We have just now upgraded our bath brush line, soap sack line and sponge line to include some amazing new, always gentle shower accessories that will hopefully delight and satisfy. We are actively testing and experimenting with some now. There is no greater sin than a bath sponge that falls apart (which is often the challenge with natural products.) Important entrepreneur lesson: Be prepared for handling all sides of your business-and in this case that means soap dishes!

Soap Donation

We just donated 35 plus bars to ACHIEVE org in NY state for their annual Day of Caring in Septemeber.  I heard about this through the Soap Guild. Partnered with United Way; it’s a good thing. Our soap will help clean those who need it most. Thankfully there is flat rate shipping. Heavy…

Featured Artisan of the Month AAB

Yeah! We are proud to be one of this month’s featured artists at Association of Artisan Businesses. It’s weird being on the other side of the interview yet fun and rewarding.

http://www.artisanbusinesses.org/members/blog_view.asp?id=563264&post=107542

Hello Hollywood!

We have officially arrived, unpacked and have been up and running for many weeks now. Some thoughts on our new neighborhood of West Hollywood are that it’s an incredibly convenient and happening place. There are no bath stores to be found but we look forward to selling locally at some markets soon. Great news! Through our local marketing efforts we have already landed some WEHO customers and look forward to more. So far, we’re having a great time and looking forward to spreading the word about the virtues of all natural soap. BTW, I was recently approached while grocery shopping in Whole Body by a man looking for advice on soap. Could it be that I exude soap knowledge and gravitas? Strange, but of course I couldn’t resist helping him choose the right soap…even as I directed him to the Soap Farm website.

Crafts on Columbus and Our Last NYC Fair

Sadly, we say goodbye to NYC and our official last market at Crafts on Columbus this weekend. We thank all of our customers who purchased from us and we really enjoyed meeting so many of you. We got some great feedback from customers who bought our products and came back to tell us about it within a day! I always learn an incredible amount from interacting with customers directly.  New York is such a great city to sell a product or idea; so many people of diverse backgrounds and interests and you are never short of an honest answer!

I hope that you will visit our site often to see that latest developments with our company both on the product front and more. Soap Farm now heads west to L.A. to keep the push going for more all natural soap. So keep in touch and remember we ship daily. We hope to see you or email with you soon!

Vanessa

C.S.O.

Soapcon10 Networking & Seminar-ing

Sounds sort of like “DEFCON 10″ and I promise you it’s just as serious; the business of soap making. My overall impression of the 2010 Handcrafted Soap Makers Annual conference is positive and I have really enjoyed meeting all kinds of soap makers and bath and body entrepreneurs because it’s from these colleagues that you learn most about the craft. For me, it’s not the high intensity business card-shoving, name tag wearing, overeating event that draws me to it. I like meeting with people randomly at lunch or outside on a bench and striking up casual conversation about our similar passions and experiences. I actually prefer this to the formal seminars where the experts are brought in to divulge in business or scientific information. Talking to other small business owners who have struggled or have creative challenges that are similar in some way to your own is hugely rewarding and beneficial. I’m one of those people who think the biggest asset to any business is the people who comprise it and that information that’s kept to oneself doesn’t really serve a purpose. So the bottom line is, truthfully, a lot of information that is gathered in seminars is easily researchable. The opportunity to sit down and chat with a fellow artisan about a particular business problem is not.