Soap bar holders booming for former Dunedin woman

Former Dunedin woman Clare Wilson and the soap block holders she has designed. PHOTO: TIM CUFF
Former Dunedin woman Clare Wilson and the soap block holders she has designed. PHOTO: TIM CUFF
Sick of shampoo bars turning into a "soggy mess", Clare Wilson set out to fix the issue.

The former Dunedin women spent 20 years working at the Otago Museum as director of collections research and experience. After leaving in 2013, she spent time travelling overseas and working in Thailand.

When she returned to New Zealand and settled in Riverton, Ms Wilson wanted to become environmentally friendly and began using soap bars but struggled with how quickly they deteriorated.

In 2018 Ms Wilson designed the Block Dock, a vertical soap holder that enabled the blocks to dry out, giving them a longer life.

The product was launched online in 2019 and, at the start, Ms Wilson did everything from manufacturing to distribution.

Since early 2020, the blocks have been made at a Dunedin engineering firm and distributed from Invercargill by Southland Disability Enterprises.

In the past year the business has taken off, particularly after last year’s Covid-19 lockdown and the rise in online shopping.

The blocks were also chosen to be a partner with the environmental retailer Ecostore’s range when it launched a new line of shampoo.

That partnership had been "really good" for her business and one that was "growing and growing".

More than 35,000 blocks had been sold across New Zealand and Australia. They were stocked by 130 retailers.

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