Organic Products Retailer "Soaps, Cleansers & Deodorizers"

"Detergents and cleansers are no longer relegated to pungent and possibly toxic ingredients to create a clean, fresh environment. Vermont Soap Organics, Middlebury, VT, whose mantra is "natural stuff that foams," offers dozens of handmade natural soaps. One of the newest offerings is an all natural yoga mat wash, a sprayable liquid castile soap featuring a blend of citrus oils. The soap not only cleans yoga mats, but extends the mats life, says Soapworks founder Larry Plesent, who developed the wash in response to the growing interest in the practice of yoga. Buty in tyhe end its about sustainability for Plesent and other non-food companies. "We're either gonna eat up the planet of use rnewable resources," said Plesent." -- September/October 2003

Natural Home Magazine "Goods - Kitchen Help"

"Make your food preparation healthy and natural. Wash Dem Veggies is a fruit and vegetable wash that can be used several ways: Ppour into a spray bottle for a convenient spray and rinse; apply directly to foods and rinse; apply to a brush, scrub and rinse; or add to a container of water for root crops and larger volumes." -- September/October 2003

Global Cosmetics Industry "Making a Difference"

"In April, volunteers from Vermont Soap Organics took a two-week trip to Ghana, sponsored by Winrock International and Self-Help International Foundation, to help the villagers of Asawinso learn how to improve the quality of the soap they produce. Not only did they teach about liquid and bar soap production, built an essential oil distiller and began work on a soap press, but they also educated villagers about chemistry, birth control, business dynaimcs and organic farming techniques. "Most important, we taught the villagers how to explore and understand the natural resources around them and to experiment with those elements to discover new ways of doing things," said Larry Plesent, President. -- September 2003

Natural Foods Merchandiser "Going Au Naturel in the Shower"

"We add coconut oil and olive oil to an aloe liquid soap in a 500 gallon pot called Big Bertha," says Angie Unwin at Vermont Soap Organics in Middlebury VT. "The mixture is constantly stirred and cooks down for two weeks to lower the pH. Then we add a vegetable glycerin so soap has a consistency similar to honey." Vermont Soap Organics' castile gels come in scents of lavender, sweet orange, peppermint and tea tree oil." -- July 2003.

Body and Soul Magazine "The Goods"

"Pass the salts, please - Vermont Soap Organics Rose Geranium Soap is rich in rose extracts, said to stimulate ciculation and elevate mood." -- May/June 2003

Better Homes & Gardens "Garden Gifts"

"Aromatherapy Bars. Hands dry after a hard day in the garden? Replenish your skin with this handmade, all-natural soap. Each bar comes with a vintage style box." -- April 2003

Conscious Choice Magazine "Cleanse Your Body, Soul, and Yoga Mat"

"Any yogi knows that practice after practice of sometimes sweaty yoga can leave your yoga mat feeling not so clean. Now yogis everywhere have an all-natural product with which to clean their mat. Vermont Soap Organics has produced their yoga mat wash without the use of synthetic colors, fragrances, preservatives, or animal by-products. the wash is made without harmful, toxic cleansers and instead relies on nnatural ingredeitns to come clean. the wash is extremely mild for those with sensitive skin, so you don't have to worry about downward dogging on a mat covered with irritating chemicals." -- April 2003

Family Circle "Circle This"

"Vermont Soap Organics offers oodles of deliciously scented soaps, like the Peppermint Magic Bar Soap." -- March 4, 2003

Organic Style Magazine "Get Smooth All Over"

"Many of us don't even have a body care regimen in summer, so it surprises us when our legs and elbows get alligator-y in winter. Here's how to clear up - and hopefully prevent - those nasty scales. To clean: Ditch the deodorant soap... Try Vermont Soap Aloe Castile Liquid Soap." -- January/February 2003

Let's Live Magazine "Gifts for the Bath"

"Lavender Bath Salts from Vermont Soap Organics soothe aching muscles, sore feet and tired brains, while Country Lavender Bath and Shower gel blends coconut and olive oils with natural lavender for a mild and moisturizing wash. The duo makes a perfect stocking stuffer." -- December 2002.

Sully's Living Without "Raise the Bar"

"Here's a soap that does more than just kill germs. The herbal power of Clove and Tea Tree Oils, key ingredients in the Blue Bar, make it a great foot soap and an effective deodorant bar. It is also a natural acne combatant. Use Blue Bar as an excellent, natural substitute for antibacterial soaps." -- Fall 2002

SOAP & COSMETICS - "Can Housecleaning be Upscale?"

"Another innovative household line comes from the Vermont Soap Organics of Middlebury, Vermont. The largest manufacturer of handmade natural bar soaps in North America, has launched a line of natural Aloe Castile Liquid Soaps offering consumers a non-toxic alternative to harsh detergents and chemical cleansers." -- May 2001

NATURAL HEALTH - "Great Products - Diet & Nutrition"

"By the time any produce, organic or nonorganic, reaches you, it has probably come into contact with pesticides and bacteria. Vermont Soap Organics Fruit and Veggie Wash, a mix of saponified oils, essential oils, aloe, and rosemary extract, cleans produce safely." -- March 2001

E - The Environmental Magazine - "MEAN AND GREEN - NATURAL CLEANERS THAT WAGE SERIOUS WAR ON DIRT"

"For sheer convenience and less mess, Vermont Soap Organics Liquid Sunshine does a great job of sprucing up wooden floors, furniture and linoleum, and is free of artificial colors, fragrances and animal by-products. Not tested on animals and easy on the chemically sensitive, it comes in 16- and 32-ounce bottles ($5.99 and $9.99) using a coconut oil, rosemary and aloe blend." -- JAN / FEB, 2001

Country Living - "NATURAL HOME - WASH-DAY WONDERS"

Vermont Soap Organics' all-purpose Liquid Sunshine cleanser is mild, hypoallergenic, and free of artificial colors, fragrances and preservatives." -- NOVEMBER, 2000

Body & Soul - "SAFER SUDS"

"With Vermont Soap Organics Liquid Sunshine, you'll be able to clean your house from top to bottom--the castile soap works on floors, carpets, tile, clothes, woodwork and dishes. Ideal for the chemically sensitive, Liquid Sunshine's aloe softens clothes in the laundry, so there's no need for fabric softeners or dryer sheets." -- SPECIAL BUYERS GUIDE, FALL 2000

The Herb Companion - "MARKET BASKET"

"Clean your bounty with Vermont Soap Organics' Wash dem Veggies, an all-natural produce rinse that safely removes contaminants without harmful detergents or chemicals." -- OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2000

Vegetarian Times - "GRUB SCRUB"

Fresh fruits and vegetables are among life's great pleasures, but the specter of pesticide residue can spoil any appetite. Rinsing produce in plain water isn't totally effective, and commercial rinses often leave a chemical after-taste. Wash dem Veggies has a solution: a produce wash made from completely natural coconut and olive oils, essential oils, liquid aloe and rosemary extract; www.vermontsoap.com ." -- JUNE, 2000

Energy Times - "Clear Skin at Any Age."

Typically, acne sufferers fight back against blemishes with over-the-counter preparations containing benzoyl peroxide, or resort to overly harsh prescription drugs. These soaps, creams, lotions and gels tend to dry out the skin, often managing only to turn it uncomfortably red and scaly. Natural alternatives to these abrasive products can be just as effective and are easy on the skin, whether your trying to improve a troubled complexion or maintain the one you've got.

"Our mission is to provide non-toxic alternatives in personal care," sums up Larry Plesent, owner of Vermont Soap Organics, purveyor of handmade, cold processed soaps, a process that requires 29 days to produce a bar of soap. Plesent, who once battled his own severe skin problems, notes the barrage of synthetic products on shelves. "You're getting dosed with minute amounts of chemicals and preservatives every time you use commercial soap." Vermont Soap Organics offers a comforting line of vegetable and botanical-based soaps free of preservatives, alcohol, chemicals, artificial colors and artificial fragrances. For blemish-prone skin, Plesent recommends the Oats 'N Aloe Unscented with comfrey, Morning Mint, or the Tea Tree soap, an anti-bacterial remedy specifically formulated for acne. These natural soaps gently cleanse, without drying or aggravating skin. -- JUNE, 2000

Healthy & Natural Journal - "ALOE CASTILE SOAP SCRUBS IN"

Vermont Soap Organics of Middlebury, VT., has introduced a line of natural aloe castile liquid soaps as a natural alternative to harsh detergents and chemical cleansers. The soaps are all-purpose products that can be used for cleaning laundry, dishes, appliances, woodwork, floors and almost any other water-safe surface. -- DECEMBER 2000

Natural Foods Merchandiser - "NATURAL SOAPS HAVE CUSTOMERS IN LATHER"

Lathering up in the shower is part of nearly everyone's morning routine - is there a single home in the country without a bar of soap? And yet, pervasive as soap is, knowledgeable customers are reconsidering their essential cleaning commodity. They want alternatives to the chemical-laden and often animal-fat based bar soaps available in the mass market. In response, natural products manufacturers are stirring up handcrafted natural soaps made with quality oils, fresh herbs, pure essential oils, even goat milk.

What the soapmaker does with two of the by-products - glycerin and free alkaoids - from the soap making process is key to the quality of the soap, says Larry Plesent, founder of Vermont Soapworks, based in Middlebury, Vt. "When you've just washed your face and your pores tighten, you've just gotten dosed with free alkaloids. It's turning the oils on the skin into soap," he says. Artisan soapmakers are careful to skim out any remaining alkaloids in the soap. At Vermont Soap Organics, the soap is tested to ensure that it contains less than 1% free alkaloids.

When soap is made correctly, using the handmade process, the end product is 30 percent moisturizer, Plesent says. "When you make vegetable oil-based soap, there are some oils that don't get saponified, so those free oils, along with the glycerin and some free waxes, give you moisturizing properties in soap."

Many soapmakers take advantage of the wide variety of essential oils available to scent their products. "Handmade soaps are a very good medium for aromatherapy," Plesent says. He says that citrus blends are good for combination skin; lavender works well for drier skin because it relaxes pores; tea tree oil is good for closing pores because it is astringent; and unscented is ideal for hypersensitive skin. -- EXCERPTS FROM DECEMBER 2000

Backpacker Magazine - "BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT THERE..." GEAR REVIEW

"Sure, soap is a luxury when you're camping. In fact, I pack it only on trips of 4 days or more, when the grease buildup under my fingernails and on my cookware becomes unbearable. Recently, I've been using a product new to the camping market, Vermont Soap Organics Camping Soap. Like all good camping soaps, it's biodegradable, hypoallergenic, and all-natural. But unlike many of its competitors, Camping Soap is free of artificial color, fragrance, animal products (and testing), and preservatives. This handmade liquid soap has a clean, natural scent that won't make you smell like a candy cane, and it rinses cleanly and easily from hands and dishes. I even used it to wash my hair at a campground shower at the end of a trip, and it worked great." Kristen Hostetter, Backpacker Equipment Editor -- NOVEMBER, 2000

EARTHWORKS - "ECOSHOP"

"Vermont Soap Organics offers a complete line of natural products for cleaning you and home, top to bottom. They use old-fashioned, tried and true methods of soapmaking, so their products are good for your skin and the environment. Their aromatherapy blends of bar soap include delightful scents such as Citrus Sunrise and Morning Mint, and each bar is designed for a particular skin type. Consumers can match their skin type with the right blend on the company website. Vermont Soap Organics Aloe Castile and Liquid Sunshine Nontoxic cleaner are versatile, all purpose cleaning products that can be used for almost any water-safe surface in the home, including dishes, carpets and woodwork, as well as on skin and hair. Liquid Sunshine left our laundry and our hair clean and fresh smelling, not perfumy. These products are great for the chemically sensitive. Wash dem Veggie's is a wonderful product for washing harmful residues from fruits and vegetables. Unlike many other produce washes on the market, this one is completely natural. Use it when you can't buy organic. It also works great for removing dirt and sand. Vermont Soap Organics products are free of artificial colors, fragrances, preservatives and animal by-products and are not tested on animals. Look for their products at your favoraite health food store. For more information, visit www.vermontsoap.com or call 802-388-4302 -- JULY / AUGUST

PROGRESSIVE GROCER - "Fresh Cuts"

Vermont Soap Organics, Middlebury, VT, is introducing Wash dem Veggies, an all-natural produce rinse free of artificial colors, fragrances, preservatives and animal by-products. The rinse is made from renewable vegetable and botanical sources, including saponified coconut and olive oils, natural essential oils, liquid aloe and rosemary extract. SRP for 16-ounce rinse: $4.99; 32-ounce: $8.50. -- July, 2000

Beauty Store Retailer - "You should also include soaps in your store's bath and body product mix. A superb array of trendy, eye-catching ones are available today. VERMONT SOAPWORKS, for example, manufactures all-natural soaps designed for sensitive skin, which is a huge selling point for many consumers." -- June/July 2000

Rutland Herald - "Middlebury Handmade Soap Business Seeing Healthy Growth"

In the eight years since Plesent started the company in Brandon, Vermont Soap Organics has grown dramatically; sales are expected to exceed $1million this year. The company's handmade soap is sold in 43 countries under more than 40 in-house and private labels...demand for handmade soap continues to grow, especially among consumers who have dry or sensitive skin. "We're growing at 30 percent a year for the past four years and that's showing no signs of stopping," Plesent said. -- Excerpts from Business Monday Section, April 3, 2000

Burlington Free Press - "Soap Company is Cleaning Up, Middlebury Business Thrives Using Natural Ingredients."

"They make a really clean product, and they are socially responsible," said Robert Schibani, owner of the South Burlington health food store Moon Meadow Market....."Customers at the Middlebury Natural Food Co-op have always looked for natural bath and body products," said store manager Suzanne Swayer, "but Soapworks products sold in bulk have little or no packaging, which appeals to Co-op customers."...."You can't change the whole world. You can be part of fixing things," said Vermont Soap Organics owner Larry Plesent. "We want to let everybody know that handmade soap is good for them." -- FONT COLOR=#cc0000>Excerpts from Business Section, March 16, 2000

Vision Magazine - "Wash Your Vegetables"

In one of the most comprehensive studies ever undertaken of pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables, Consumer Reports found that even a single serving of some produce can deliver unsafe levels of toxic pesticide residues for young children. The health experts at Consumer Reports believe that consumers should not avoid serving fresh produce. Rather, they recommend that consumers carefully rinse their produce. This environmentally-friendly cleanser [Vermont Soap Organics Wash dem Veggies] is free of artificial colors, fragrances, preservatives, and animal by-products and it is not tested on animals. -- April, 2000

Natural Foods Merchandiser - Vermont Soap Organics announces that it is expanding its production capacity and product line. The facility expansion will increase manufacturing floor space at Vermont Soap Organics by one-third, and overall bar soap production capacity will be increased from 5,000 bars to 7,500 bars of handmade soap per day. -- June 2000