Edmonton soap maker cleaning up with manly scents

MacKenzie Proudlove has shed blood, sweat and tears to make his customers fresh and clean. 

Proudlove, founder of Edmonton-based Bro Brick, learned the hard way that the soap business can be dangerous.

He spilled lye while making an early batch of soap and ended up with a toonie-sized hole in his foot, Proudlove said in an interview with CBC Radio's Edmonton AM.

Proudlove, a graphic designer by trade, started the handmade soap company in 2014, working from his home in the south Edmonton neighbourhood of Summerside.

Some manly suds

Boxes filled with soap marked Rum & Coke, Leather Scrub, and Butter Beer sit at the basement stairs which lead to his modest workshop where he casts, cuts and stamps each brick.

Prior to soap making, Proudlove was in T-shirts, then candles marketed to men, but neither caught on with consumers.

"I was just looking for something else I could bring to the market, something I could actually make with my hands," Proudlove said.

"So I thought, what do men use? And everybody uses soap, right? So I came up with a line of men's soaps and they just kind of took off."

But Proudlove wasn't interested in creating ordinary soap. His company tagline reads "Smack the filth off" and scents are based on things Proudlove likes, such as classic cocktails and pairings like beer and wasabi.

"When I did my first trade show or market with the bricks, and people were actually buying them and I actually started making a little bit of money, I was ecstatic," he said. "I could barely even add up the totals." 

Proudlove learned how to produce the bath products by watching online videos and eventually developed a variety of recipes that include actual rum, beer, and coffee.

"It is chemistry and it has to be fairly exact, which is weird because I love cooking, but I hate baking," he said.

No bathing with bacon

However, not every concoction is successful. An attempt at a bacon-scented bar didn't pan out.

"People don't want to bathe with that, but they do want to smell like rum and Coke," he said. "I gave that first batch out to family and friends and they said they really liked it, so I just started producing it." 

In 2015, Proudlove expanded the business to include the Chick Brick, a smaller bath bar scented as gin and tonic, sangria, and pumpkin spice latte.

Partnerships with Alley Kat Brewing Company, Medicine Hat Brewing Company, and Jacek Chocolate give the bars another Alberta touch.

Plus, leftovers are packaged and donated to local shelters and outreach organizations to be given to those in need.

Bro Bricks and Chick Bricks are available at various retailers in Edmonton. Proudlove also sells the products at local markets and online.

Despite the mishaps and failed concoctions, Proudlove has no regrets about getting into the business.

"I definitely like working on my own," he said. "I was never strongly suited for having a boss."