Hi guys, this is Ray, and together with my wife, Wendy, we founded BORTH BEACH SOAPERY. You see, l was fortunate enough to have been born and raised in the seaside paradise of Borth Beach in Wales, U.K., where the sound of seagulls and crashing surf is the only alarm the town’s small population needs each morning.

Here, everything is natural and fresh, from the homespun yarn of hillside sheep, to the dawn fresh catch of returning fishing boats. It was in Borth some 70 years ago that my grandmother molded soap for our family’s use ­– soap my grandfather also used for shaving. These soaps actually smelt like they’d been made from the flowers, leaves and herbs of our gardens, woods and forests.

It was this boyhood memory that inspired BORTH BEACH SOAPERY. Our small batch, handmade and hand-sliced soaps contain only ALL NATURAL ingredients and essential oils such as lavender, rosemary, cedarwood and fir needle, providing a fresh, clean, sensual smell as well as a formulation that’s nourishing to the skin.

Adding more character to our all-country family comes Wendy, born in the beautiful land of Zimbabwe, in southern Africa, and raised in the tiny, mountainous Kingdom of Lesotho where horses, chickens, ducks and composting were her world. Her influence can be felt in the antioxidant-rich herbal rooibos tea that’s contained in most of our products, and is grown in the Western Cape region of southern Africa.

Today, we’re proud to be based in the United States, where our soapery is run from Birmingham, in “Alabama the Beautiful.”

Wendy and I are so thankful for not only being able to operate a successful business here, but also to be able to give back, by donating a portion of your purchase to improving the lives of those living with mental illness. Mental illness touches one in five Americans, and funds for those in need are woefully short. Thank you for being part of the solution.