One customer story that is really funny is we will have people come in with their tiny little bar soap in a Ziploc bag saying, what is this?

What smell is this?

[laughs] [show music] So, I grew up in North Pole, Alaska, which was pretty rural.

We really were into being self-sustainable and also crafting.

And so, one year for Christmas, I was thinking, what can I do for my family and friends that would, be a nice homemade gift.

And so I made a batch of soap.

That's what started this entire thing was that first batch of soap for Christmas gifts.

I'm Jennifer Morsell.

I own Mountain Madness Soap Company.

We've been in business for 25 years, and we have a store in downtown Coeur dAlene.

Jennifer's hobby has transformed into a thriving operation, one that now offers far more than just bar soap.

We sell body butter, deodorant, shampoo bars, solid bar soap, bath bombs, solid dish soap, conditioning bar.

If it's hygiene related, we got you.

But, it isn't just me that's doing it anymore.

This is definitely a collaboration and a huge group effort.

I'm Cody Naylor, I am production manager here and one of two soap makers at Mountain Madness Soap Company.

Something that people might find surprising is the amount of kitchen supplies that we use here.

KitchenAid mixers, spatulas, homemade.

Literally.

You could do this in your kitchen.

That's how Jen started the business.

From the tools to the techniques, Mountain Madness still honors its humble beginnings.

But the operation today is much bigger than a kitchen countertop.

This here is our warehouse and this is where all of the magic happens.

We make everything here.

Our process is, you know, to make it and then to cut it and then shelf it, it cures.

When I say cure, it's we cut it and then when we had it, it's a little bit soft.

The longer it sits on the shelf, the harder it's going to get.

At one time, we have over 200 items on the shelf here and, multiple of each item.

So we're sitting in the middle of soap that is probably going to end up at somebody's house here soon.

But beyond shelves of curing soap, the team is driven by a larger purpose, one focus on responsibility and kindness.

I really think what helps us stand out is just kind of our sustainability aspect.

Our mission is literally just, a culture of kindness to people and a culture of kindness to earth.

And with that mission comes a commitment to reducing waste at every step, even when the process doesn't go exactly as planned.

The most challenging part of soap making?

The human variable.

Making mistakes, leaving something out putting too much of something in or even the temperature that day.

You have to be ready to react and adapt.

We sell bags of “ugly bath bombs” from mistake batches.

Or maybe that's the wrong fragrance.

We do the same thing with the soap discards from our cuttings.

We sell them as soap stack samplers.

Just trying to reuse the waste.

We're extremely aware of our footprint and making it as minimal as we can.

We're very aware of our packaging and don't sell any kind of single use plastics.

And we just really are aware that we are producers.

And because we are producers of things, we want to do it as earth friendly as possible.

And with growth comes the power to be even more sustainable.

We recently switched our lip balm tube containers.

We used to have them in plastic tubes, and we did that for years.

And this is an example that now that our business has grown, we have more buying power.

So now I can get custom made lip balm tubes and that's what we're selling now.

So we were able to reduce that plastic tube, and now have this, cardboard paper tube.

The more you grow, the more power you have.

And I think that you can be ethical and source things even when you're really small, but you definitely have the ability to really impact other people and their livelihoods when you do have the buying power.

That sense of responsibility extends beyond sustainability.

For Mountain Madness, each product is also an opportunity to support the community in a tangible way.

One of my favorite things working here at Mountain Madness that I get to do, that I get to see directly impact to make a difference is our buy a bar, give a bar program.

So if you buy a bar of soap, we donate, a one ounce bar of, our oatmeal milk and honey soap to a person in need.

I'm making our iconic Oatmeal Milk and Honey soap.

That's one of the coolest things of my day to day is to be a part of that program.

And know that we can help fill some of the void.

Really makes me go home feeling good.

I think what keeps people coming back to Mountain Madness is our commitment to consistency.

Not just being eco friendly or giving back to the community, but the quality of the products, the love that goes into it.

Even through Covid and now tariffs, we've had to face product changes, ingredient changes.

And we roll with the punches and keep the quality there.

And it's that combination of quality, consistency and compassion that keeps customers returning year after year.

[Thank you very much.

Youre welcome.

See you all next time.]

We have customers that have been with us for 20 years that have used it on their children and their children are now in college.

And just to think of the, the repeat customers, the community that we've built, because we're not just selling soap.

Were selling a culture of kindness that's so important to us is that you're not just getting out your soap and you're using it in the morning.

You're, you know, you're actually supporting real people that live in your community that are doing amazing things.