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Harmony Creek Farm brings 'old-fashioned' soap making to the Gulf Coast
Harmony Creek Farms
Soap Boutique
27267 Perdido Beach Blvd.
Orange Beach, AL 36561
Facebook.com//harmonycreekfarmsoap/
251.974.7627
Order online or call/email to drop by the store to pick up an order.
It's in every kitchen, bathroom and hospital in the country. We use it multiple times a day – hopefully. It's the unsung hero of health: soap.
Ever wonder how it was originally made, or the difference between what you buy in the store and what your great-great-great grandmother used in her kitchen? Turns out a glimpse into soap making's past lies tucked in the SanRoc Cay Entertainment District in Orange Beach, Alabama.
Harmony Creek Farm Soap Boutique makes soap "the old-fashioned way," according to co-owner Ali Qureshi. He and his wife, Ruta, co-own Harmony Creek Farm, which began in Virginia almost 10 years ago. Ruta continued the soap-making tradition of the company where she previously worked after her boss retired, opening a business with a different name but the same premise.
While Ali helps run the business-side of Harmony Creek and procure the raw materials used to make their soaps, Ruta, a master soap maker, spends her days in the soap kitchen at the back of their shop making the magic happen. "I always tell everyone that soap making is half art and half science," Ali said. "You can't just cook it up. You really need to know what oils you need to mix at what temperatures. But then half of it is really art because she uses a lot of creative ways of putting designs in the soaps and mixing different oils to make the fragrances. It's an amazing artistic as well as scientific profession."
"I always tell everyone that soapmaking is half art and half science.....It's an amazing artistic as well as scientific profession."
- Ali Qureshi, co-owner of Harmony Creek Farm Soap Boutique
Soap has a long history, dating back to the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians, when oils, fats and other natural substances were combined into a mixture that made it easier to remove dirt and grime. Now what you buy in stores is actually detergent, created from chemicals with similar properties to the soaps of old.
What you buy at Harmony Creek is much closer to what your ancestors used than what you can buy at the grocery store. "We don't use any sulfates or chemicals or harsh detergents, which really are bad for your skin," Ali said. "They contain natural glycerine, making them extra moisturizing. It's the old-fashioned way of making soaps – cooking it up in pots and pans."
The Qureshis moved to Orange Beach from Virginia 3.5 years ago to be closer to Ali's family – and avoid cold winters. Ali said he began working on the soap making venture full time when the two relocated "to take the business to the next level." The first few years have been about making a name for themselves in their new area and adjusting their business model to cater to vacationers. For instance, their online store allows seasonal visitors access to their soaps year-round (and customers to place orders while still social distancing).
The soaps themselves tend to reflect the seasons. Visitors during spring and summer will smell floral and citrus scents that turn to frankincense & myrrh and balsam pine toward the cooler months. Of course, scents are available all year, but since they have to allow the soaps at least 28 days in the curing cabinet, they work to anticipate the demand for seasonal soaps. Ali explains their popularity: "If someone comes into the shop, chances are they're buying more than one."
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Note: Harmony Creek Farm Soap Boutique is Bellator Real Estate & Development's April 2020 LoLo monthly client gift for South Baldwin County. Contact your Bellator REALTOR® for details.
