photo source: Nature Conservation Program in Macedonia

Daniela Krstevska is the third generation in the family engaged in the domestic production of soap, which is now sold under the brand "My soap". In her workshop in Pehcevo, there are soap molds that are two decades old and testify to the long family tradition. There, next to the old wooden objects they once used, there are now modern tools used to process and cut the soaps. Every product of "My Soap" is made from natural ingredients, and most of the plants are picked in the clean areas of Maleševija.

Inovativnost.mk had the opportunity to visit Daniela in her workshop in Pehcevo. It is her and her family's wish that "My Soap" be available to everyone, and that people can afford and purchase natural products at any time, because they are good for their health and for our environment.

Journalist - Sanja Naumovska

Daniela tell us something about your family tradition of soap making?

In our family, both my grandmother and my mother, who is a chemical engineer, made soaps. I am the third generation to inherit this tradition. All soaps from the My Soap workshop are handmade, without the use of chemical substances and are very pleasant, clean and nourish the skin, so they can be used by people with very sensitive skin.

photo source: Nature Conservation Program in Macedonia

We have recently been cooperating with the Swiss Nature Conservation Program in North Macedonia, where they helped us equip the workshop with more modern tools for cutting soaps. Thanks to that, we can now work faster, easier and more efficiently, and the soaps look more decorative. In addition to soaps, we also make a natural deodorant cream, which does not contain chemicals or other harmful substances and does not prevent sweating, but neutralizes the bad smell. It is made from natural ingredients, with the addition of lavender and tea tree essential oil.

What materials do you use to make the soaps?

In the soaps we put nettles, calendula, St. John's wort, common daisy and other herbs that we harvest ourselves in the wild areas around Pehcevo. The soaps also use oils of St. John's wort and white rada, in which the herbs are previously extracted, which we also make ourselves. In some of the soaps, we also combine coffee, honey, goat's milk, zeolite...

The range also includes soaps made with many other ingredients such as cocoa, lavender, coconut, red pepper, various imported oils and butters such as olive, tea tree palm oil, lemon grass, patchouli and geranium …

Of course, we also maintain the tradition of making soaps with pork fat, which were traditionally used in Macedonian households centuries ago, for personal hygiene, but also for washing clothes. In our workshop, we have lard soaps that are over two decades old, which are witnesses to our tradition.

How do soaps get to your customers?

Soaps from the "My Soap" workshop can be purchased directly from us or ordered from our social media profiles. We also try to always be present at all handicraft bazaars, ethnic fairs and other events.

Balkan Prime Tours recently included us in the Program for the Development of Tourism in the Eastern Region, we were also part of a fair in Spain, thanks to which we received orders from outside the country. Our idea is not only for people to come and buy soap, but also to learn the process of making and get to know the tradition. For this reason, we also work on organizing workshops for families, because the equipment we use is safe for children.

What are the future plans for My Soap?

We see that buyers love handmade and natural products, which gives us an incentive to further develop and increase the range of products. Soaps that have interesting shapes are very attractive, so we plan to add new and new molds and satisfy everyone's taste. Our desire and one of the goals we strive for is that "My Soap" is available to everyone, so that people can afford and purchase natural products at any time, because they are good for their health and for our environment.

photo source: Nature Conservation Program in Macedonia

The text is taken from Inovativnost.mk, author Sanja Naumovska