By Cathy Miller

Happily residing in the hills of Harmony with her husband, Debbie Jones planted the seeds for Montana Mountain Shop when she decided to formulate some all natural products for her family. Raising a daughter who was allergic to the chemicals often hidden in skincare products, she wanted to create something with no secrets. Debbie always enjoyed cooking, following recipes for savory or dessert dishes, so cooking up natural skincare products was an easy transition. Then, and now, she wouldn’t be able to pursue her passion if not for the help and support of her husband Bill.

Inspired to begin making soaps containing no allergens, Ms. Jones researched the ingredients in skincare products, curious to see what the listed ingredients really were and to make sure they were derived from cruelty-free sources. She came across an enterprise that met her criteria, whose soap was great and had a scent she absolutely loved. It was, unfortunately, very expensive. Debbie had always wanted to start her own business, and suddenly, here was her chance. She realized making soap might be something she’d enjoy. She read up on it and the rest is history!

Montana Mountain soaps, shampoo bars, and shave bars are vegan, cruelty-free, and free of any preservatives or additives – that means no parabens, no additives, no phthalates. They are all handmade and hand cut, big and chunky. Ms. Jones’ supplier grows and distributes botanical ingredients of only the highest quality, sharing her concern for the environment and for animals. She sources palm oil from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms. There are no bright or artificial looking colors in Montana Mountain products because everything is tinted with natural ingredients like paprika, turmeric, nettle powder or indigo. Debbie’s recipe of beautiful scents, healthy ingredients and creamy lather, results in smooth and moisturized skin.

Debbie Jones has been turning out Montana Mountain soap for around seven years. Selling a wide array of scents, when asked how often she creates a brand new scent, she said, “Now that I have a new website (www.montanamountainshop.com), I want to make sure I always stock what is shown on the site. We are doing more shows this year than we have ever done before so I am trying to build up stock in anticipation of that too. Basically, I’m sticking with the scents we have, but every once in a while I’ll add something new. It keeps me from getting bored. My next new scent is Four Thieves – clove, cinnamon, lemon, eucalyptus, and rosemary.”

Where does the inspiration for a new scent come from? Ms. Jones explained, “Sometimes I look down the long list of essential oils where I buy mine from and think about what I could mix with some if they catch my eye. I also have fragrance oils, so I’ll scroll through the list from that supplier as well and buy what sounds like a nice fragrance.”

Currently, Debbie’s goal is to cook up four 12-pound batches per week, which requires about four hours per batch of soap, including the time for the temperatures to drop.

She offered a quick synopsis of the steps involved. “I mix the base oils (olive, coconut and sustainable palm) in one pot and the lye and water in another pot. I line the wooden mold with freezer paper so the soap doesn’t stick to the mold. Once the water/lye mixture and oils have cooled (I touch the pots and if they are slightly warm they are good), I mix the two together. The scent and coloring is added, then it is poured into the mold. It needs to be insulated, so I wrap the mold in a blanket and leave it for two days. After two days, we cut it into bars and put it on a wire rack to cure for four weeks.” What happens to all those lovely bars after they’re cured? They’re placed in shoe boxes and stored in big plastic containers, keeping them safe and organized during transit from show to show. The big six-ounce bars are tucked into a little burlap pouch, tied up with artistically knotted raffia, with an ingredient label on the back, and a simple brown card on the front. Some of Debbie’s returning customers have said they use the burlap pouch as a bath mitt with the soap inside.

Walking by the Montana Mountain tent at a show, visitors are met with a refreshing bouquet of lavender, lemon, cedar, mint and much more. Are there are some unexpectedly popular scents, and some that don’t click with your customers? “Over the years I have added to the scents I use and I keep stock on the wide variety I will continue to make. There are scents that don’t really sell, so I just don’t make them again, and then there are those that everybody loves right from the start,” Debbie said, noting, “Different people like different scents. Our most popular scents are lavender, cedar and saffron, rosemary mint, lemon, and patchouli. Offhand, I can’t think of any unpopular ones that have been discontinued.”

Along that line, while chatting with Ms. Jones at a recent Craft Show, a male customer took a sniff of a bar of soap and commented that it smelled like “stinky socks.” Bill, Debbie’s husband, instantly responded with a laugh, “Your stinky socks must smell really great!” A little deeper into the soap on display, the gentleman and his wife selected a perfectly agreeable fragrance!

Wondering about the soaper’s favorite scent, Debbie admitted, “I like patchouli and rosemary mint, Bill likes cedar & saffron and dark star (patchouli, orange peel, sparkling mandarin, coriander leaves, star anise, and vanilla bean), and my daughter likes lemon.”

Debbie has been vending her soaps for about six years. Having progressed to bigger (and more) shows, Montana Mountain is ALWAYS looking for new events to add to their list. Not only at summer events, they can be found year-round at assorted festivals, markets and craft shows, from Newark to Bordentown, Lake Hoptacong to Ocean Grove. They’ll be back in Warren County for Hackettstown’s Oktoberfest in September.

If one is so inclined, Ms. Jones even accepts custom orders. Debbie detailed, “One service we provide is handmade soap as wedding favors, baby shower or bridal shower favors, with customizable tags on them.”

Being as soap and water certainly do mix, how do Debbie and Bill quickly and carefully pack up in case of a sudden cloudburst? “When we are outside, we always have a tent above. We also bring a tarp if there is rain in the forecast. If the rain was coming in sideways or the roof of the tent didn’t keep it out, we would put the tarp over the table. If that didn’t work, we would put the soap away in the plastic containers – but that has never happened, knock on wood!”

With all her experience with allergen-free, natural soaps, what’s her impression when faced with a shelf full of supermarket/department store soaps? Debbie was quite candid, “I think it’s awful what companies are allowed to sell,” adding, “I love to see young girls and boys come to our table to buy soap. I like that they are taking an interest in products that are better for their skin and overall health at such a young age (young teens). Sometimes even younger children will linger over the bars of soap, but they are with their parents. The parent will say, ‘oh, you are out of soap. Do you want to buy more?’ They certainly do!”

Aside from her soaps, what else does Debbie enjoy? Gardening, looking for new product recipes, and sewing. Does she have a “bucket-list” item? A train trip through the Canadian Rockies.

In closing, Debbie Jones’ philosophy when creating soaps for her clientele, just as when creating meals for her family, is to always use the best ingredients. As she says, “If you use good ingredients, you’ll have a good end product.” She’s proud to display the Rainforest Alliance seal (the little green frog symbolizing environmental, social, and economic sustainability), and is working to get the Leaping Bunny seal (certifying animal-friendly, cruelty-free products) so her customers are secure with the knowledge that Montana Mountain products are both animal and environmentally-friendly.