It was only meant to be for a couple of years. In 2003 I was at a wedding in Sedbergh and met a local farmer. We spent less than a week in each other’s company before we got engaged and well, he became my reason for relocating 300 miles north and leaving my job. We have two children and live on a farm in Sedbergh, at the foot of the Howghill fells. Andrew runs the farm and gets dirty and I run Sedbergh Soap Co. - you could argue this is to make sure he can get clean again.
MY MORNING ROUTINE
I’m currently doing the Everest Anywhere challenge with a friend so I’m getting up very early around 5am to walk to the top of Winder fell, which is part of the Howgills here in Sedbergh. We run from the top back down and then it’s straight in to making packed lunches and see the children off to school. As you would expect, my skin and hair routine is of course based on our own products. At the moment my soap of choice is Rosemary & Nettle, mainly because my 15 year old daughter uses it as it is great for teenage skin, and I wash my hair in Sedbergh Soap’s Lavender Shampoo. I always use our All Over Lotion to moisturise and if my eczema is particularly dry or itchy, it works very well as as a face wash too. Apart from that, I have to confess I simply cannot start the day without a good cup of coffee.
MY FUTURE PLANS
Over the past few months we have seen a huge surge in requests from independent shops to stock our products. Supporting local is important to us, so we will be adding 50-60 new stockists to begin with. We are also teaming up with a number of hotels and spas to create their guest amenities and treatments - it is clear that some places have taken the period of lockdown as an opportunity to re-evaluate and switch to natural and organic wellbeing products. With this growth, naturally comes the need for more people and we have hired additional staff to add to our team.
3 THINGS ABOUT SEDBERGH SOAP COMPANY
- All of our products are tested on my own skin. If a new product doesn’t pass the test, it doesn’t make it into production. This also goes for anything we make bespoke for clients too; it is the absolute cornerstone of our brand.
- I started the business with just £40 in my pocket. We were skint and I just had enough for a few ingredients.
- As mentioned above, we also make bespoke products for clients. It is the part of Sedbergh Soap Co. you cannot see. I personally work with development chefs, spa managers, designers and gardeners to get under the skin of each new client; to find that special something that makes them unique. And then the challenge is to turn that into a scent and a series of products, just for them.
FIND THE RANGE sedbergh-soap.co.uk
