Penny Morgan Tells Us
How She Found and Founded 'SOAPODS'!

Last year “ Amma, the hugging saint” (www.amma.org) a humanitarian from India came to Dublin where I live. A devotee stayed in my house during Amma’s visit and, as a sign of her appreciation, she gave me some soapnuts (a natural nut that comes from India and is used to wash your clothes by putting a few in a cotton bag and placing in the washing machine).

The soapnuts were bought from a stall during the program and with the product was an instruction leaflet with the contact details of the supplier whom had supplied Amma’s European tour.

When I tried the soapnuts I was very impressed and called the supplier to find out where I could find them. The supplier told me nobody in Ireland or UK was selling them and I would have to buy them from him and have them sent over. I ordered 4 kilos, as I wanted to give some away. It wasn’t long until I needed more, and more, and all of my friends and family were using soapnuts!

Soapnut Berries

What are SOAPODS?

SOAPODS are the effective, completely natural and environmentally friendly way to wash your laundry.

A washing detergent that grows on trees…literally, SOAPODS are nuts that are native to India and Nepal, where they have been used for centuries as a washing detergent.

Harvested from the Soapnut tree, the nuts contain the active natural washing ingredient saponin. Similar to soap, when the shells of the soapnut come in contact with water the saponin is released and suds are produced.

SOAPODS are 100% natural unlike commercial washing products that add numerous chemicals, which can harm our health and pollute our environment. A resistance is growing towards chemicals in cleaning and washing products, as they are now widely believed to be a cause of the dramatic increases in skin allergies and a contributing factor in the causes of Eczema and Asthma.

Organic and biodegradable SOAPODS are also a sustainable, renewable primary product and a valuable contribution to the fight against environmental pollution. There is sometimes, the inaccurate perception that "Eco-products" are not as effective as their mass-produced chemical equivalents, SOAPODS breaks down these barriers.

Why I started the Company: SOAPODS

As I started using soapnuts I totally fell in love with them as a product. I was using them exclusively at home to wash my clothes and also using the liquid made from them (see how to do this at www.soapods.com) for all my other household cleaning. I also realised how much cheaper they were than the other eco products on the market, and they really worked! I then decided that there was a potential business opportunity and so I started SOAPODS, the eco-friendly way to wash your clothes.

As the company grew more and more people were telling me how much they loved them. After selling SOAPODS in Ireland for 6 months a friend who owns a successful tea company introduced me to Tim, the sales director of Community foods in London to see if he would be interested in stocking SOAPODS.

Community foods are one of the largest wholesale distributors of wholefoods in the UK but they sell very little ”non-food” products. I will always remember the look on Tim’s face when we tipped the SOAPODS on to his desk! But to his credit he tried them and decided to launch SOAPODS at the Natural Products Show in London April 2006 as our sole UK agent.

The show was a huge success and SOAPODS will be nation-wide in many healthfood shops in July. Community were delighted and surprised at the reaction and level of interest in SOAPODS. Since the show we have launched our web site www.soapods.com. SOAPODS are already selling well in health food shops and Internet sites that have been brave enough to take such a unique new product.

In Europe soapnuts have been selling for a few years already and are very popular especially in Germany and the Netherlands.

I have now sourced soapnuts directly from India and as the company grows I will have even more control in the harvesting and the payment to the workers. As yet there is no fairtrade criteria for soapnuts, but I hope to work with the Fairtrade Foundation next year to develop the implementation of FAIRTRADE standards.

Click here to purchase Soapods available at The Natural Store >>