HISTORY: The Original Bradford Soap Works Inc. was founded in Rhode Island in 1876. It initially made industrial soaps used to scour wool for the textile industry and moved into consumer bar soaps in the 1960s. Its 250 Rhode Island employees work in the Valley Queen Mill in West Warwick, which once was a Fruit-of-the-Loom factory.
› Clinique facial soap retails for $14 at Macy’s
› Bar soaps take 4-6 hours to make from scratch depending on formulation
› Ingredients for Bradford products include honey, oatmeal, coffee grounds and essential oils
› Bradford has 100 more employees at a manufacturing facility in Columbus, Ind., and a warehouse in Calexico, Calif.
› Once tallow-based, Bradford soaps are now vegetable-based
Jaime Lowe is a PBN contributing writer.
