Straw poll - bulk mould design?

[Birdie Wife]

For folks with existing businesses - what type of moulds did you find it easiest to upscale your soap production? Do you use a loaf/slab/individual mould design? What materials are durable and practical?

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I'm not currently selling but I'm considering it more seriously now after over a year of soaping to various recipes and very favourable reviews from friends and family. I know I still have much to learn and I'm going to continue to develop recipes for a while before I go 'live', but I want to start to explore the options for scaling up production. I use all-natural ingredients and EOs, no artificial preservatives, colours or fragrances.
/background.

I currently use silicone moulds and I've developed a template that I can use to produce a standard yet rustic-looking bar. I like slab moulds but I'm considering moving to an individual bar mould so that I can make an attractive commercial-looking bar that is still high quality in ingredients. Is this approach viable? Do your customers like a bar that looks exactly the same as the one next to it, or do they like a more rustic, organic approach?

 

[Lindy]

I use wooden log moulds that make 20 x 1" soaps. I have 6 of them plus I have 6 8 bar wooden log moulds as well. They work really, really well for me...