Melba Seto is the owner and maker behind Bowness Soapworks, a Calgary-based soap and pottery business built around adventure-inspired products made with homegrown, handpicked, foraged, and locally sourced ingredients from the Rocky Mountains and foothills. Melba came to soapmaking after leaving a career in healthcare, choosing to prioritize her young family and find a way to give back to the community in a more hands-on, sustained way.
What is your business called and what does it do?
Bowness Soapworks creates adventure-inspired soap, made with home-grown, handpicked, foraged and local ingredients from the Rocky Mountains and the foothills.
What made you want to do this work?
To be able to find a better work-life balance and give back to the community in a more meaningful and sustained way. I have always been creating and making, and when faced with the choice to choose between my young family, continuing to inspire and teach the community and working in health care, I chose to leave my health care profession and focus on Bowness Soapworks.
What problem did you want to solve with the business?
Create more mindful experiences through my workshops. Inspire people to grow and learn new things, while giving back to the community through fundraisers and events. Provide a voice and safe space for vulnerable populations, and create employment for people with disabilities and accessibility issues.
Who are your clientele/demographics?
People who support small and local, people who believe in community and building something together to make Calgary more fulfilling.
How does your business make money? How does it work?
I sell soap and pottery and teach workshops.
Where in the city can we find your profession?
I collaborate with multiple local venues for my workshops; I host private events and studio sales and tours at my studio, and I sell to local boutiques and wholesalers. Retailers include: Greenbriar Market and Refillery, The Hidden Gem, Wild Rabbit Vintage, Italiano Please YYC.
What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services? Give the answer as well.
What is so special about your soap?
What makes our soap unique is that it uses only 100% essential oils and no synthetic scents, fragrances or colourants. We only use natural ingredients that can be found in your pantry to make our soak using the traditional cold process method. Every batch is handmade and small, and we often use local ingredients or handpicked in our soap lines!
What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?
The best part is when people actually see what we are about and our process; they become loyal clients for life. For those with sensitive skin and those who want their products to do more than just function, we give people a chance to give back just by buying our soap. When people support us, they support our community directly in our social and environmental efforts. The hardest part is that North Americans have a skewed concept of the value of handmade. With commercial soaps being able to produce at a much lower cost, many people don’t understand why our natural soaps cost more.
What is your favourite joke about your own profession?
The first rule of soap club is everyone talks about soap club! This gets people every time because the reference to Fight Club is so iconic!
Where can we follow you?
Instagram | Facebook | Website
PAY IT FORWARD: What is another local business that you love?
Italiano Please! They really inspire me to change the way I employ people, making our team as diverse as we can!
