The Maker
Grandma
Grandma took the first idea and turned it into an actual bar of soap. Made, cut, wrapped and labeled by hand.
Our story
From a homemade batch to a whole lot of soap.
What started as Grandma's idea to help take care of eight employees became a family business, a growing product line, and a team still making soap for customers more than two decades later.
The people behind the soap
It started with Grandma and Grandpa. Today, it takes a whole team.
A simple idea became something much bigger because of the people willing to make it, sell it and keep it moving.
The Salesman
Grandpa
Grandpa took that homemade soap on the road and discovered that people wanted a whole lot more of it.
The team today
Still making soap for the customers who love it.
What began as a way to support eight employees has grown into a team of 12 people helping make, pack and ship Grandma's products today.
From one batch to thousands of bars
Grandma had an idea.
It started small. Then one good bar of soap kept opening bigger doors.
2002
It starts with eight employees.
After visiting a craft show and seeing handmade soap being sold, Grandma and Grandpa had an idea. Business was slow, but they had eight employees they cared about and didn't want to lay off. If they could make and sell something new, maybe they could help make up the difference and keep their people working.
So Grandma made soap. She cut every bar by hand with a knife, wrapped it in shrink film, used a hair dryer to shrink the wrapping, taped it together and tried to sell it.
2003
Grandpa takes it on the road.
Grandpa packed up cases of Grandma's soap and brought them to a trade show to see what would happen. He sold every case he brought and then started taking orders for more.
What began as a small idea to help support their employees suddenly looked like it could become something much bigger.
2005
The hardware store breakthrough.
Grandma's Lye Soap went to the True Value Hardware Show. The response was so strong that they were invited to stock Grandma's Lye Soap in the True Value warehouse.
That opened the door to hardware stores across the country and helped introduce the brand to customers far beyond home.
Turns out, a hardware store is a pretty good place to sell soap.
The years that followed
One bar became a whole family.
Customers wanted more, so the product line began growing beyond the Original Lye Soap. New ideas included theGrime Away, followed over the years by Goat's Milk Soap, Baking Soda Bar, specialty soaps, herbal varieties, laundry products and more.
What started as one simple bar gradually became the Grandma's product family customers know today.
Today
Grandma's idea is still keeping people busy.
More than two decades later, Grandma's Lye Soap has grown into a team of 12 employees. Six members of the team work regular production days from 8 to 4, making, cutting, packing and preparing the products customers order every day.
The equipment is bigger. The batches are bigger. The team is bigger. But the idea behind it hasn't changed very much.
Make something good.
Take care of your people.
Keep going.
Where it all started
Try Grandma's original idea.
More than two decades, a growing team and a whole lot of soap later, the Original Lye Soap is still here.
Three simple ingredients. The bar that started it all.
