Natural, handmade and honest. That's Bare. But find out more about where it all began...
Established in 2014
A decade ago, armed with passion and a few humble ingredients, I embarked on a journey to create a line of natural soaps, bath salts and skincare products that made skin as well as Mother Earth happy. Little did I know that this small, homegrown venture would evolve into a labour of love that would grow and flourish beyond anything I could have imagined!
The Early Days
On February the 11th, 2014, with the aid of a few YouTube videos and online tutorials I created my first ever soap; a plain and simple bar of olive oil soap with no added fragrance. It turned out brilliantly and I was so excited! For the first time I truly felt bitten by the soap-making bug and wanted to make more. A little while later I made a second soap, which if I remember correctly was some combination like walnut and orange or something, and I’ll be completely honest with you…it was terrible! It went all mushy and was just a disaster! But I tried to view it as a learning curve, despite the failure it gave me valuable things to work on and improve for my next soaps.
In my quest to push myself and learn more I booked myself onto a course to learn about natural soap-making. I had no idea if I would enjoy it as I’ll be honest; my second attempt at a soap had knocked my confidence a little bit! But I thought to myself; why not give it a go? Well, needless to say, I loved it! I learned so much and thoroughly enjoyed every moment. My favourite thing about it was the process of making something with your own hands that is long lasting, useful and practical. It was such a joy to learn all of the tips and tricks, the science behind the skincare, and how beneficial it is to use natural ingredients on your skin.
The First Sale
Let me tell you about the magical moment when I had my first-ever customer. I went along to Llandudno’s winter fair full of nerves and anticipation. The air was crisp, the hour was early, and there I was, standing behind my humble stall armed with twelve different soaps and four kinds of bath salts. As the fair buzzed, people came by and commented on how nice my products looked and how good they smelled. That in itself gave me such a thrill! And then came that magical moment; my first customer. After perusing my products for a while, a woman picked up a soap and with a smile said “I’ll take this one, please.” My heart soared! Someone was actually buying something I had poured my heart and soul into creating. That simple act of purchasing my work filled me with a sense of joy and validation, propelling me to want to keep learning and honing this craft.
I kept tinkering and developing until my stock of soaps grew and grew, and I gained more and more confidence with each creation. After some time, my son Ryan suggested bringing Bare Natural to the digital realm. As I was juggling soap and skincare recipes in my kitchen, Ryan with his savvy marketing mind dove headfirst into crafting a website from scratch. As if that wasn’t enough, he also rolled up his sleeves and turned his creative juices to branding, conjuring up a logo and packaging designs that represented my work beautifully. I couldn’t be more grateful for his invaluable contributions to Bare Natural!
Growth and Expansion
I got stuck into developing new products and soon I had an arsenal of not just soaps, but bath salts, facial oils, body butters and more ready to share with the world. To my absolute delight not one, but two shops agreed to stock my creations within the same month! Echo Beach in Beaumaris and Lottie and Wren in Caernarfon welcomed Bare Natural into their cosy shops, and let me tell you, seeing my products sitting on their shelves was a moment I’ll never forget. It was a surreal blend of pride and gratitude, knowing that something I felt so passionately about was now being shared with the world.
The Future
The future holds more exciting product development, some new ideas on what natural care can look like and hopefully more happy customers and stockists. I appreciate everyone who purchases and uses my products so much, Bare has changed my life in ways I could not imagine, and I look forward to seeing where it takes me next.
The Bare Team
Dinah Anthony
Paul Anthony
Angharad Norrington
Ryan Anthony
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