wholesaling 1lb soap loaves question . . .

[Ancel]

Hi all,

I've been asked to wholesale whole 1lb soap loaves to a store and I'm wondering if there are any disadvantages to doing this in regards to the soap itself.

**What would the cure time be?
They would be 8inches x 3inches by 2 1/2inches, and contain a pound of oil, I use a 2:1 water:lye ratio, and e.o.s. I usually cut 12 hours after making and cure for 5 weeks. I'd do a straightforward coconut, palm/lard and olive recipe. So nothing fancy or tricky.

**Is there anything I should avoid in terms of ingredients? oatmeal, cacao, fruit purees?
I know there's no air in the center of a loaf, but somehow I'm worrying about ingredients not drying out properly and turning nasty.

**is there something else I should be thinking about?
I've never tried to cut soap that's older than 2 days, would it have a tendency to crumble?

From a wholesale point of view it makes great sense as I'd save time and money on cutting, storage space and wrapping. But it would all be for nought if the soap didn't hold up.:eh:

thanks in advance everyone! So appreciate the pearls of wisdom this forum holds

 

[JessieD]

I have no advice, but I do know that BB sells soap by the loaf, so it must be fine to do.

 

[boyago]

Just curious do they then chop it up and sell by weight?

 

[Ancel]

Yes, that's what they want to do. They also want to use them as part of a display, and sell already cut bars alongside. At first I was dubious, but I have another wholesale client with a spa who needs the soap wrapped in a way that takes me so long, and I don't really like, so actually this selling whole loaves seems like a breeze in comparison.

I wasn't sure if bramble berry and all the other companies that sells loaves, or rounds, put something in their soap to keep it soft enough to cut after a few months . . .

 

[DeeAnna]

Many types of soap will stay soft enough to cut for a fairly long time. I'm sure there are soaps made from some recipes that will harden up enough to be impractical to cut. I can still cut the soap I make into tester/sample bars as long as 4-6 months after making.

 

[dixiedragon]

My concern would be that the soap would get too hard to cut easily. Perhaps you could address that in some way in your agreement? Another issue would be FOs that discolor with exposure to air, so when you cut the loaf you'd have the brown outside and the inside would be a different color. People might think something was wrong with the soap.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

It sounds like (hope the OP can confirm) that they know what they are doing - I'd say just confirm that normally it's cut sooner and that you can't put a 100% promise on how easily they'll cut it or if it will look different.

 

[JessieD]

It sounds like (hope the OP can confirm) that they know what they are doing - I'd say just confirm that normally it's cut sooner and that you can't put a 100% promise on how easily they'll cut it or if it will look different.

I agree. That's probably the best bet. Just be clear that FO and EO can change appearance with time, and the bar hardens as time goes by...the rest is up to them. Fair warning.

 

[DeeAnna]

Um, I'd put it that the SOAP itself can change color, regardless of fragrance. Don't put too fine of a line on this.

I have seen this type of "cut your own soap" thing in a local organic grocery store. I agree the novelty will draw some people to buy, but I can't say I'm overly impressed with the concept, just looking at it as a consumer, not a soap maker.

The first problem I noticed is that people tend to cut pieces off the log in any which way, which leaves the remaining log looking rather rumpled. The cutting area needs regular cleaning and tidying to take care of the soap crumbs that litter the cutting surface and put the soap logs back neatly on their display shelves.

Since the logs are sitting out in the open, unwrapped, in a brightly lit room, the fragrance was faded and the colors were morphing and fading. I also didn't care that customers could handle the unwrapped soap directly to sniff, handle, and cut -- not appealing, especially in cold and flu season. And the whole display with the cutter, the varied colors, and such was a bit of a kid magnet.

 

[hlee]

I have not been soaping long enough to answer any questions.
Should you maybe try a couple loaves at home before you do this and see how they do?
I can see the appeal for this.
Soap loaves just look really cool and cutting it is just really fun! :smile:

 

[ShayShay]

All of the Whole Foods stores near me have the soap loaves on display. They do have a couple bars of each cut, but you can also cut off the loaf and they sell by weight.

 

[CaraCara]

I have let mini loaves go a month or so and they cut fine. I actually think selling by the loaf is a great idea but I have to agree with Dee Anna on the ick factor of buying by the slice.

 

[Ancel]

Thanks all for your responses!

I had seen whole loaves and rounds at Wholefoods and Lush. I found it attractive, but was always worried I'd make a bad cut and went for the pre-cut and wrapped bars myself. Good point about them being a kid magnet

I think it would have to be a sales person that did the cutting - otherwise wouldn't there be a danger of liability (with cutting tools?). The buyer I believe wants a few loaves for display and then bars for sale, so I think he'll have the displays bars and then the bars he cuts himself there for selling. I imagine so, as one bad cut on such a small loaf and the whole thing will look awful. Will check on this.

I already had a written conversation with him regards loaves possibly being hard to cut and colours changing. Good to know about different oxidation rates! He'll have e.o.s only and natural colorants so perhaps less to morph? Hope so.

I'm more confident now that the loaves will be okay in themselves - thanks all who shared their experiences with cutting into and beyond the cure times. It's a good point that maybe I should try curing a loaf myself first and cutting it before making his, but then we're looking at 3 months wait for his soap. He's already impatient for the 6 weeks I've told him it'll take me to ship them.

Thanks again all, will keep you posted

Love this forum :razz: