A passion for making soap

When a hobby becomes a passion and that passion becomes a thriving business, you are onto a good thing. That has been the experience of Julia-Ann Holder of Hummingbird Soap Studio.

This local female entrepreneur in 2012 started out building her own company and officially entered the local market in 2017. This is a step she is very glad she made as it has been rewarding.

Reflecting on how it all began, the soaper said “it started off as something for me and my daughter to do in the afternoon after school. We started off with melt and pour soaps, which as time went along and we did some research, and got to do some classes with the pros, we found out that melt and pour soaps are just the tip of the iceberg when you’re talking soap. So we went from melt and pour soap into hot process, cold process. There are a lot of varieties of soap but those three that I just mentioned are the most known ones,” Holder said.

With a smile, Holder added that daily when she leaves her “8-4” job in the office administration field, she eagerly anticipates going home and making new products or perfecting those she is skilled in making.

“This really is the icing on the cake after I leave work during the day. When I get home – I think soap! What am I going to formulate now? So, it is always some kind of idea; what are we going to do to strengthen the business? What are we going to do to empower the people we come in contact with?” she added.

From soap making, Holder has expanded her craft and now her product line not only includes locally made soaps but also body butters, scrubs, bath bombs, candles, lotions, deodorants, lip bands and wax melts. She also makes her own packaging and seeks to share her knowledge with other soapers, or those interested in the field, through the one-day workshops she stages.

Being a “girl-boss” isn’t always the easiest thing to do, however through running her own business, Holder has built relationships with those in the local soap industry. She has also participated in local events such as the Holetown Festival and she has travelled to locations such as Trinidad and Tobago. While there, as a member of the Barbadian delegation she showcased and sold her products in the Grand Market at last year’s Carifesta XIV.

When asked how she balances her roles of mum, wife, business professional and entrepreneur, she points out it is not difficult wearing all those hats when it is something you truly enjoy.

The owner of Hummingbird Soap Studio has her eyes set on doing greater things as a businesswoman. She has sought to make her company one where its products can be shipped regionally and her next step “is to move more to the international market.” Additionally, she intends to have her workshops become “fully accredited via the Barbados Accreditation Council.”

“The hope is to become fully certified where we can have a wholesome workshop for persons to attend. Not only the actual making of the soap and the making of the boxes, which would be manufacturing and packaging. We are also looking at the customer experience, the financial aspect of it, the human resources element of it… so that is where we want to go,” Holder said.