Mountain Madness Soap Co. keeps it local
Cody Naylor, of Mountain Madness Soap Co., pours a mix of raspberries and cream soap into a mold to set before being decorated with raspberries made from glycerin.
COEUR d’ALENE — It all began as a way to DIY Christmas presents while living in North Pole, Alaska, but Mountain Madness Soap Co. has burgeoned into a growing small business with 15 employees.
Owner Jennifer Morsell credits a lot of it to keeping everything to being made in-house from scratch and rooted in her community with local ingredients.
“The handmade aspect is important to us,” Morsell said. “When I started making soap about 24 years ago, melt and pour was very popular, but turning it from its authentic and raw state was something that was very important to me.”
She didn’t think the pre-made base you cut up and melt really counted as soap-making, so she learned the chemistry behind saponification. Saponification is the process that converts fats, oils, or lipids (the acid) into soap.
“It's very complex, but it’s fun that you have the chemistry aspect and still have the artistic part of it as well,” Morsell said.
Handcrafting has always been a special interest of hers, so as she got more and more into soap-making, she started selling soap bars at farmers markets and after about 10 years, she opened her first store in Coeur d’Alene.
The business added a second location as a warehouse to concentrate on soap-making as the downtown store focused on retail operations.
Online sales have continued to be a pillar of the soap maker after the initial rush for handmade soaps during the pandemic.
“People in every single state in the United States have ordered from us,” Morsell said.
Nature is a running theme among many of the company’s soaps, with names like “sunrise” and “tree-hugger.” There’s even an anti-bug soap to repel insects.
Keeping scalability in mind, the boom Mountain Madness experienced during the pandemic returned to normal in the years to follow, so making sure growth isn't outstripping quality.
Her advice to other small business owners is simple: “don't cut corners.”
“It's always hard as a small business to relinquish some control, but you get to a point where you need help and you can’t do it by yourself anymore,” Morsell said.
Now, the online store generates 24/7 sales on top of the regular business hours of the storefront.
Morsell said paying attention to all the variables has become one of the most fun parts of running Mountain Madness.
“Business is always changing, you always have to pay attention to feeds, trends, the economy, and sometimes even politics. As long as you focus on the core aspect of what your goals are as a business, you can pivot," Morsell said.
Tracking the many changes to the market keeps her entertained.
“It's been a really fun journey,” Morsell said.
The final product for raspberries and cream soap.
Raspberries made from soap glycerin along with a sprinkling of real raspberry seeds for exfoliation adorn the top of the raspberries and cream soap from Mountain Madness Soap.
Cody Naylor pipes the top ornamental layer to raspberries and cream soap.
A variety of Mountain Madness Soap Co. soap bars.
Barber shop soap from Mountain Madness Soap Co. has a moustache design formed into the bar of soap.
The storefront of Mountain Madness Soap Co. in downtown Couer d'Alene.
