On a normal Monday making day Debbie Wambolt can be found in her creating space stirring the pot! Step by step, she makes Mini‘s Soaps. Adding a magical secret combination of handpicked, homegrown and foraged materials. Then stirring and stirring until it is just right. But today she took the morning off to talk to me about her story.
“I really started making soap for myself. I have health concerns and sensitive skin. I wasn’t able to use commercially made store bought soaps so I started buying other homemade soaps. Then I thought why not make my own. So I did. Then I made some for some friends and so on. Six years later, here we are with Mini’s Soaps. I tried a lot of things until I found this very old Greek recipe. I think that mostly the old ways are the best ways. They are tried and true. The soap has olive oil, not lard. So it is vegan unless I add honey. Making soap is a lot like baking.” She explains.
Creating recipes is a process. Debbie puts her background in culinary arts to good use. Combining her creativity with mathematics, measuring, testing, trial and error for each new recipe. That philosophy of attention to quality control goes into all her products including teas, salves and other lovely things. A lot comes out of her little busy kitchen!
We talked about her future plans for the business and of course Covid. ” I want my business to grow but it is important for me to balance that goal with the needs of my family. It’s funny, I have had to put some expansion plans on hold due to Covid and the boys being home. But on the good side it has helped my business. People are interested in my products! Especially my soap since it is gentle and handmade. Gentleness is important as we all wash our hands so much these days.”
Touring around the garden of their 70 x 70 property in Milton, it is easy to see how every inch of space is used efficiently. They live a homesteading lifestyle, hunting, foraging and gathering. On their nearby piece of land, she has more plant resources and they plan to expand.
Sitting on the porch swing we talked about how much artistry is in her work and what inspires her.
” A lot of art! Making is art. I am an empath medium. I am sensitive to people and feelings. I notice things. This helps me access my artistic side. So one day making soap and I was hit by an impression! I suddenly knew the story of the soap. I don’t know if it came from within me or if it was the spirit in the soap. But I felt very strongly about it. I named that soap Gypsy. “
I thanked her for sharing her story with me and as I got up to leave I got distracted by a sweet scent. Of course, I asked her what it was. “Deborah, it is that little jasmine plant there. I love the smell of it too. Sometimes I just sit and look out into my garden and daydream. Daydreaming about new ideas. You never know what idea I’m going to come up with when the sun is in my garden “
What do you think you could come up with if you took a little time to daydream in the sun?
