. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Today, I bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor Pleasant River Soap Co. In the words of owner Mary Phipps:
"The online store of Pleasant River Soap Co. is for retail and wholesale customers alike- for immediate online ordering it reflects retail pricing, but go to the ‘Contact Us’ page for wholesale requests and info. All are welcome! When in the e-store, you will see pictures and descriptions of each of the 12 varieties of vegan bar soap, and each of the 4 scents of Pure Nature Lips."
SouleMama: Tell us about your background. What path led you to the work you do today?
Mary: For as long as I can remember, and especially after my kids were born, I have been
interested in living as naturally and preservative-free as possible. With a background in biology
and chemistry, it occurred to me that I could unleash my “inner mad-scientist” and combine
that with my love of natural and nourishing ingredients, and make body care products that I
would be proud of, products that are entirely free. Free, that is, of artificial colors, fragrances,
and preservatives! It naturally follows that I have packaged them in a way that minimally
impacts our earth- all soaps are wearing re-cycled materials, which are printed with soy-based
inks, and produced with wind-driven power.
SouleMama: Tell us about the beginnings of your business.
Mary: I made my first bar of soap in the dead of winter in 2004. Perhaps as a response to snowflake number 5 bajillion? Probably. Soap making was, for many years, just a very part-time activity, a seasonal craft-show project, really, to do while I stayed at home and raised my 2 daughters. However, a while ago, I suddenly found myself a single mom. I knew I wanted to do everything I could to remain at home with them as much as possible, because I firmly believe in the value of being available for kids as much as possible in their formative years. So, last year, in 2010, I became serious about my soap-making business- I became an LLC, hired an amazing design and marketing firm to re-design and bar-code my packaging, (Pulp & Wire), and dedicated my basement to being a full-time production facility. Now, instead of focusing on selling my products occasionally at retail craft fairs, I am primarily a wholesaler, currently in about 17 locations around Maine…the most exciting of which being Whole Foods Portland.
And, work is downstairs!
SouleMama: Tell us what you envision and dream for the future of your business.
Mary: As a single-mom business owner who, though having a science degree, had chosen to stay
home to raise children for about 10 years before suddenly finding myself needing to provide for
them, I would like to provide a happy, supportive, and empowering workplace for other moms
who may be in transition, or looking to re-enter the workplace after being a stay-at-home mom.
I strongly feel that need for school-schedule-friendly employers, and so I strive to become one
myself…Pleasant River Soap Co., LLC will be a cool “mom-world!”
SouleMama: Tell us about your customers.
Mary: My fastest growing group of loyal followers is the vegan community. I have received tons of
positive feedback lately as word is spreading that every one of my bars is vegan-friendly, which
I find tremendously exciting. So as not to confuse or mislead anyone, my Pure Nature Lips,
however, contains beeswax, which is not considered to be vegan-friendly by most vegans.
For today's giveaway, Pleasant River Soap is generously offering the following package to ONE winner:
~ Our four top-selling bars!
(one bar each of Maine Woods, Bay Rum, Lemongrass, and Lavender.)
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Thank you to Pleasant River Soap Co.!
To enter, please leave a comment in today's post (one entry per person, please). Comments will close on Monday by 8am EST. Winners will be chosen by Random Number Generator and announced here in this post by Monday evening.
Comments closed! The winner is...
mmmmmmmmm! count me in!
Posted by: Martha Miller
