Notes from the Mountain - Issue No. 10

There are a lot of decisions that go into making soap that customers never see. One of them is ingredient selection, specifically olive oil.

When I first started making soap, olive oil was one of the first ingredients I bought. It's prized by soapmakers for the gentle, conditioning qualities it brings to a bar and has been used in traditional soapmaking for centuries.

Back then, I'd load up bottles from Sam's Club, bring them home, and start experimenting with recipes. I didn't know where the business would go or if anyone outside my family would even want to use what I was making.

A lot has changed since those early days.

The labels look different. The packaging looks different. The designs have become more detailed. I've learned more than I ever thought possible about soap.

But one thing hasn't changed. Olive oil is still a big part of every bar I make.

If you've purchased olive oil lately even to use in cooking, you already know where this story is headed. The price has absolutely skyrocketed over the past few years. Since I've started, the price has more than doubled, and at times it has nearly tripled. And if you're a soapmaker, you've probably had the same thought everyone else has had at least once:

"There has to be a cheaper option."

My reaction every time I buy olive oil.

To be fair, many makers did make changes. Some switched to sunflower oil or other cheaper alternatives. There's nothing inherently wrong with that. There are other oils that have similar profiles. Most customers would never notice the difference. In fact, that's the interesting part.

Nobody would have known if I changed it.

But I would have known. Maybe that's one of the things that comes with doing something for a long time. You stop making decisions based entirely on cost, convenience, or what other people expect. You start paying more attention to whether something still feels true to what you set out to do in the first place. And for me, that's what mattered.

Not because olive oil is magical. Not because it's trendy. Not because I think customers are standing in the shower evaluating fatty acid profiles.

It matters because it's part of the recipe I've believed in from the beginning.

The older I get, the more I realize that some decisions aren't really about what other people notice. They're about staying true to the standards you've set for yourself. The things you choose to do even when nobody is watching.

Bars like Bramble & Bark (one of our best-selling OG bars) still contain the same olive oil they've always contained. Not because it's the cheapest ingredient. Not because it's the easiest choice. Just because some things are worth keeping.

Sometimes the decisions nobody sees tell you the most about who you are.

From the Trail:

A short reflection inspired by the outdoors.

"Character is built in the choices nobody asks you to make."

More soon,

Dianne

Bring the outside in.