It’s refreshing when someone keeps their promises — like that nice clean feeling right after washing your hands. Chris and Alise Allen of Heber teamed up with their great friends Kurt and Jennifer Offereins of Spokane, Washington, to lather up the Promise Soap Company. They’re bubbling with excitement for their new company committed to connection, community, and the environment. They believe in “better soap for a bigger purpose.” Their love for people, goodness, and nature is contagious.
The Allen and Offereins families have been friends for years and were thinking about what sort of project they could collaborate on while making a difference. During Covid 19, life slowed down, and things shut down, including Jennifer’s business consulting company. It was the perfect time to turn ideas into reality, with Jennifer and Alise being the driving forces. Not being able to purchase the hand soap she wanted, Alise had an ‘aha moment’. Everyone uses soap! Soap was an obvious and perfect product to pursue. Alise and Jennifer wanted to take something practical and elevate it. And the Promise Soap Company was born. Today, Alise, who has a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a photography emphasis, oversees the website and design elements and helps with packing donations, along with networking in Heber Valley. Jennifer and her family fill orders and network in the Spokane area. The teams’ goal and mission is to incorporate a higher and deeper purpose by giving back to their communities; product donations to charitable organizations are a central part of their business model.
“Elevate Your Hand Washing Experience”
Businesses and families have an opportunity to become part of the “promise club” through online subscriptions. Promise Soap’s Welcome Kit includes two signature glass bottles, two foaming pumps, and four concentrated soap pouches. Subscribers receive a 15% discount and free shipping and handling on all orders. Subscriptions are conveniently customizable, which makes it possible to personalize delivery frequency and scent combinations. Customers can experience the joy of “spreading the suds” to those who need it most. With each online subscription and anniversary, one bottle of soap is donated to various charitable organizations. If you have an organization in mind, nominations can be made. One student connected with Promise Soap prior to going on a humanitarian trip to Tanzania and 30 bottles of soap were donated. The Heber Food Pantry has also been the recipient of dozens of bottles through community connections. Businesses in Heber Valley that are already enjoying Promise Soap subscriptions are Mountain Wellness Bar, Gravity Coalition, Dorius Dental Design, Lola’s, Audrey Powers Salon, Dainty Pear, and Daly B. Preschool. These businesses have discounts and QR codes next to their sinks that also give soap customers an extra discount.
Alise Allen shares, “We have loved this part of Promise Soap, and I feel like it’s been the most rewarding. It’s been really fun to meet business owners and network with them. These are businesses we already love, support, frequent, and appreciate.” She explained how rewarding it is to be able to offer businesses and customers a product that “[…] has a cause to give back, right to the heart of our community. We know there’s a need. We live in a crazy economy right now; there are a lot of people who need more than just food and basic needs like hand soap. To be able to provide really nice hand soap for them is a wonderful privilege. We want as many households and businesses to switch their soap and be a part of something that can make a difference, something to be proud of, to put a smile on people’s faces with one less thing they have to worry about finding when they visit the food pantry.”
Don’t Forget Mother Nature
Promise Soap Company is also passionate about pure ingredients and taking care of the environment. Their soap is made with a short list of certified organic ingredients, including olive oil, coconut oil, aloe leaf juice, rosemary extract, and essential oils. Their Oregon-based wholesaler also believes in giving back. They plant trees and native plants for every five gallons they sell. Packaging and concentrated refill pouches are 100% recyclable. Each concentrated pouch mixes with water to make a 12-ounce bottle of foaming hand soap. Foaming hand soap last longer and has the potential to be less messy unless you have a bubble-obsessed pump-loving toddler or teenager. Their scents include lavender, citrus, evergreen, and unscented (which can be mixed with one’s own essential oil). Promise Soap’s foaming hand soap is good for the skin while providing a nice silky feeling, and their “convenient, recyclable packaging and reusable glass bottles reduce your environmental impact daily.”
Alise suds it all up, “Every home and business that uses [Promise Soap] in our community is taking care of the environment by switching to refillable bottles and less plastic waste. They’re able to give soap to those in need. The impact could be huge. We want to be a force for good, a force for change, and for taking care of people in our community. Being able to contribute in some small way, connect with others, and give to those in need is definitely the most rewarding part of it all.”
