How It All Began

It Started in My Kitchen

People often ask how Chagrin Valley Soap began, and I always smile because the truth is… I never set out to start a business. Not even close. In the summer of 2000, I was simply looking for a hobby — something creative and interesting to balance out the weekends my husband, Howard, spent happily buried in sawdust in his wood shop. He had his lathe, his tools, and his mountain of wood shavings. I wanted something that felt equally hands-on and satisfying.

When I could coax him away from his workshop, we would wander through weekend craft fairs. That’s where I first noticed the handmade soaps. They were beautiful, but most were filled with artificial colors and fragrances. I remember thinking, Why go through all the trouble of making something by hand only to fill it with things I didn’t want on my skin.

With my background — registered nurse, master’s degree in biology, minor in chemistry, and years of teaching middle school science — I knew there had to be a way to make a truly natural soap. Something simple, something gentle, and something that felt good to use.

So I did what any science-minded person would do in the year 2000: I went to the library. Researching niche topics online back then was… let’s just say “limited.” I spent hours reading everything I could find about fats, oils, lye, and the chemistry of soapmaking. And somewhere in those stacks of books, my “hobby” was born.

Howard built me a small wooden mold. I gathered ingredients, borrowed my kitchen mixer, spatula, and pots, and made my first batch. We still laugh about how long it took and what a mess we made. But in the spring of 2001, I unmolded eight bars of Goat Milk & Oatmeal soap, cut them, and let them cure.

Then something unexpected happened. Howard had eczema, and after using that soap for two weeks, his skin looked better than it had in years. That was the moment I realized I might be onto something special — even if I didn’t yet know where it would lead.

Gaining Traction

With that little success under my belt, I kept going. I experimented with new recipes, learned more about the chemistry of oils and their fatty acid profiles, and made soap whenever I had a spare moment. I was fascinated — truly fascinated — by how small changes in ingredients could create completely different soap bars.

Our kitchen, however, was less fascinated. It was overrun with oils, wooden molds, and other soapmaking supplies, much to the dismay of my husband, who loves to cook. So he enclosed a porch under our deck, and just like that, the original “soap factory” was born.

In the summer of 2002, I took a course on building websites for my science classes. For practice, I made a tiny website featuring the handful of soaps I was making. I published it just for fun — simply to see what would happen.

What happened was my first online order.

By the summer of 2003, we were getting several orders a week. People were talking about our soaps online, sharing their experiences, and coming back for more. It was thrilling and surreal. I still thought of it as a hobby, but it was beginning to grow into something more.

From Hobby to Business

As I continued researching, I became increasingly aware of how many unnecessary chemicals were in everyday skincare products. I didn’t set out to “change the industry” or “save the planet,” but I did want to create products that felt honest — things I would feel good about using on myself, my family, and my friends.

So at age 52, I decided to create a small line of wholesome, natural products. My first new creation was lip balm. My seventh‑grade science students were thrilled. They tested every recipe, offered very scientific critiques, and helped me choose the best ones. Their enthusiasm — and their honesty — was contagious.

I formed a corporation called Chagrin Valley Soap & Craft — I was the soap, and Howard was the craft. By the summer of 2005, my kitchen hobby had become a real business. I took a sabbatical from teaching, fully expecting to return to the classroom and use the business to supplement my income.

But the business kept growing. And growing. And growing.

Eventually, it became clear that I couldn’t teach full-time and run the company. I was torn — I loved teaching, but I also loved creating something real and meaningful with my own hands. Howard encouraged me to follow the path unfolding in front of me, and so I did.

In 2007, my son Sam returned from Spain to join the business. Then came family friends — Christine, Lindsey, and Ben. My husband has always been there to build, fix, and support. My 90 year old mom, Sophie, helped with labeling. A few years later, my daughter Sarah and her husband David joined in, adding their own energy to the team.

Chagrin Valley Soap truly became a family business.

And the best part is this: the people who stood beside me in those early days remain at the heart of our story. We’ve grown side by side, and all these years later, we are still working together, laughing together, and sharing the same love for the little company that began in my kitchen with just a handful of soaps on a shelf.

As we grew, we moved into larger spaces, hired new employees, and learned how to navigate the ever-changing world of small business. Through it all, we held tightly to our mission, our values, and the culture that made us who we are. We never wanted to lose the heart of what started this journey.

Today, we’ve expanded into a full line of natural and USDA-certified organic skin and hair care products. We ship to every state in the U.S. and to more than 80 countries around the world.

As the years unfolded — with growth, challenges, and plenty of surprises — we never lost sight of our vision: to create products that reflect the values I started with — simplicity, honesty, and a deep respect for what we put on our skin and into the world.

This journey wasn’t planned. It wasn’t strategic. It wasn’t a businesswoman’s grand idea. It was a spark, a curiosity, a kitchen experiment, and a whole lot of heart.

And I wouldn’t change a single step.

Watch as Ida explains who we are and how Chagrin Valley Soap got started.