Rich history of a natural treasure

Three thousand years ago the Phoenicians, whose lands corresponds to present-day Lebanon and coastal parts of Israel and Syria, brought the olive to new colonies in Mediterranean ports. Later, the Romans would trade olives as one of their more gentle means of settling local frictions.

In the 6th century, French craftsmen combined the ashes from sea plants with locally pressed olive oils to make the world's first olive oil soaps. New factories in Marseille, Genoa, Lisbon, and Istanbul began a tradition of soapmaking that n Marseille, the number of soap factories reached more than one hundred in the twentieth century. Workers gently stirred the delicate mixture in old cauldrons and filled huge pits with a deep-green paste. In a process spanning generations, the hardened blocks were stamped with special marks and dried in the sun and marine winds.

Today, making a statement for simplicity, purity and tradition, the descendants of early soapmakers continue the craft. Their dedication ensures the legendary quality of one of mankind's most time-tested creations. Our modern lives seem to need more than ever the healthful, uncomplicated care of pure olive oil soaps.