THE STORY BEHIND THE SOAP
Blue Pool Handcrafted Soap is a country cottage business set up by Killarney locals Cara and Declan Fuller whose soap making workshop is situated on private grounds located right beside the Blue Pool Nature Trail, in a meadowland site called Cherry Island. Cherry Island was originally the location of the historic Muckross Hotel Farm back in the 1950’s.
The Fuller Family have a connection with the Blue Pool Wood going back to the early 1950’s when local Dr. Paddy Fuller bought the adjacent Muckross Hotel and Farm surrounding the wood. The Blue Pool is a beautiful spring fed pond, and due to copper deposits in the surrounding lime stone the pond has a vibrant azure blue hue.
WHY SOAP
So why did The Fullers decide to start making SOAP?
Killarney is located in the South West of Ireland, Co.Kerry. Kerry has traditionally been Ireland’s premier tourist County, chiefly because of its spectacular physical features. Killarney and its hinterland is probably one of the best known tourist destinations in Ireland attracting thousands of visitors per year. Apart from its natural beauty tourists choose to visit Killarney so that they can experience true Irish Hospitality, in an unspoilt environment, where they can meet and socialise with local people who have a relaxed approach to life that comes from living in such a glorious location.
The concept of Blue Pool Handcrafted Soap came about during a discussion regarding growing annoyance about how so many products marketed towards tourists that claimed to be Irish and even possibly “from Killarney” that turn out to be manufactured in far off lands but are only packaged in Ireland.
Now this conversation took place on a summers evening, sitting on the patio in Cherry Island, overlooking the Blue Pool spring fed pond that was covered in a sea of vibrant yellow wild iris’s, with a family of Sika Deer drinking by the water’s edge, and the sound of ducks and moorhens coming home to roost, all surrounded by the tree line of the Blue Pool forest. The Fullers asked themselves was there any way that could use what was on their own land to produce a desirable product that captured the essence of the natural beauty of Killarney. Soap sprang to mind, soap is so simple yet used by men, women and children on a worldwide basis, it is available to all income brackets, yet a simple bar of soap to fulfil needs, lifestyles and aspirations? Thus Blue Pool Handcrafted Soap was born!
Once the decision was made to set up this soap making cottage industry research was done. Cara travelled to London to be trained by a soap making expert in how to make and sell soap. Recipes had to be tried and tested, logos, branding and packaging had to be created. Suppliers for ingredients had to be sourced and all the strict guidelines that are laid out by the Soap Makers Guild had to be followed and strict quality systems had to be put in place.
Blue Pool Handcrafted Soap has undergone a full safety assessment by a qualified cosmetic chemist. The soap is produced according to strict EU Regulations.
The soap is crafted with care and attention in small batches, using natural skin loving ingredients, that are proved to be suited to gentle and effective cleansing for everyday use.
This handmade soap is ph balanced, cleansing skin leaving it refreshed and feeling soft and smooth.
The journey has been fun and exciting and now all that left is for people from all walks of life, from all the corners of the world to enjoy using Blue Pool Handcrafted Soap!
