The Serra de Tramuntana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011. A place of symbiosis between man and nature for millennia. A long stretch of land where human intervention has been respectful of the environment in order to benefit from raw materials, while being able to preserve the place. It is inhabited and worked by many locals and foreigners alike. It is a wonderful and exceptional environment that captivates everyone who comes to visit it. This is what happened to Rose and her husband Joachim.
Rose is one of those many people who are born in one country (France) but find in another a place of tranquility and disconnection. Her maternal family is originally from Soller, but like many others, she was forced to migrate for a better life. Fortunately for her, they had a strong attachment to their roots and all her childhood summers were spent in La Vall. Her favorite place.
When she married Joachim, they went together again to Mallorca. She showed him the island and all her favorite spots. They fantasized about moving there, but at the time, their professional lives kept them too busy. Years would pass and that idea of returning would not fade away. It would not be until 2015 when this dream could become a reality. Overwhelmed by a stressful life and a job that was running him by, Joachim decided it was time to stop, turn everything around and reconsider his future.
"The idea was clear to him: to produce handmade products, 100 % natural and local".
They then decided to settle in Sóller, where Rose had a house that had belonged to her family. Now they had to take the next step, to know what he was going to do from now on, because she had already started working at the Lycée Français in Palma as a teacher. As often happens, solving a common daily problem is what leads us to something else. In this case it would be their youngest son. He is asthmatic, and like many, has atopic skin. At one of the visits the pediatrician recommended that they use natural olive oil soaps. They already knew the what, now they had to figure out the how.
Lacking the necessary knowledge, he began to investigate and learn about the processes to make soap. There are 3: the first one starting from soap noodles previously made with palm oil, the second and third options were hot and cold saponification, where the difference lay in the need or not of cooking during the elaboration process. "The idea was clear to him: to produce an artisanal product, 100% natural and local" and that is why he chose the cold saponification option, which allows him to work with virgin olive oil.
Along with virgin olive oil, which he buys from the Sóller Agricultural Cooperative, he uses oranges and lemons from his own land, as well as almonds and aromatic plants from the mountains. With the raw material selected and having a clear idea of the elaboration method, it is time to get down to work. From each batch, he obtains about 150 bars of soap: in a container he pours the fat - in this case virgin olive oil - the water, essential oils (in case he wants to aromatize) and the caustic soda. Mix everything with a mixer at a temperature of around 40º/45º degrees. Then it is poured into silicone molds, where the chemical reaction occurs naturally and is left for 24 hours to solidify. The next day it is cut and left to dry for 3-4 weeks, as if it were a maturation process. It is then ready to be sold.
"In the end it is an exclusive product, even a luxury product, which gives it added value".
In addition to the 8 variants of natural soap, in Jabón de Mallorca we can find other items. And the fact is that Joachim's restlessness has always led him to go a step further, trying to find out how to transform the raw material. During 2017, he developed a dry shampoo, perfect to take with us on a trip and, most importantly, it generates a reduction of the use of plastic, since, like all his other products, the packaging is made of cardboard.
The following year, he entered the world of essential oils and began to distill plants in his own home (he currently has two stills). This gave rise to two product lines, the first of perfumes and the second of essential and body oils, all of them natural and handmade. And finally, we can find lip balms, made from organic almond, aromatic plants and beeswax.
All this hard work, sensitivity to the local economy and the 0Km philosophy, have earned him to become the first person (who is not dedicated to tourism or agricultural production) to receive the distinctive "Serra de Tramuntana World Heritage" title, in addition to having the letter of master craftsman, which is awarded every year by the Consell de Mallorca. This recognition comes not only in the form of certificates or distinctions, but also through customers from all over the world. From the hand of Fet a Sóller he has recently delivered an order to Finland. "In the end it is an exclusive product, even a luxury product, which gives it an added value", which is at the end what they take into account when choosing their soaps: that it is handmade, 100% local product and that there is no other like it.
Despite the success he is having, Joachim continues to have clear ideas: to continue producing handmade, local and small-scale products so as to not lose the essence. He is delighted with the customers he has abroad and all those who buy through the website, but he will continue to serve all those who come on Saturdays to his stall in the Sóller market, because there is nothing better than direct contact between producer and end buyer.