Maker | The Little Flower Soap Company

Q: Who are you?

A: The Little Flower Soap Company is an Ann Arbor, Michigan based small batch, body care company established in 2010 by husband/wife team Holly and Justin Rutt.

Q: What is your brand?

A: The little flower brand is on a mission to design products that become must have, can’t live without favorites.  Perfecting completely natural, healing recipes that smell amazing, really work and are cutely packaged.

Q: What do you make?

A: We make cold processed small batch soaps using heirloom techniques perfected and polished with time.  We make all natural super healing lip balms, bath salts, and body balms too!! We use only the best essential oils, botanicals, and minerals including organic rosemary leaf, organic lavender flowers, organic cocoa butter, Shea butter and many more.

Q: Why do you make?

A: We started our line of useful everyday body care items because we appreciated those homemade gem recipes for lip balms, massage balms and soaps that come and go from our local food co-ops and farmers markets.  We realized we could create healing ingredient loaded versions of these every day necessities for our own use. 

Q: What inspired you to make?

A: We were inspired by the homemade gem recipes for lip balms, massage balms and soaps that come and go from our local food co-ops and farmers markets. We realized we could create healing ingredient loaded versions of these every day necessities for our own use. I stay inspired by the the rave reviews and repeat customers that we have collected over these 5 years. When I’m feeling worn thin during rush seasons like Mother’s Day and Christmas I take a few minutes to read the 1000+ 5 star reviews that our sweet customers have left on our Etsy shop. I love seeing people say things like “it smells AMAZING” and “its my new favorite” and especially “this stuff really works!” I am inspired by nature in a big way so when I'm feeling uninspired a drive to the country, or walk in the woods fixes me right up. A strong cup of coffee and James Taylor's greatest hits will do the trick when I can't get away.

Q: Why support makers and keep Main Street alive?

A: Makers create the highest quality most beautiful, useful creations no matter what the cost because they take PRIDE in their work. It means homes filled with useful beautiful everyday items, not cheap plastic substitutes. When you support makers you support the renaissance of the skilled manual worker, or artisan who can finally find fulfilling work that also pays the bills. Main Street is the hub of the community where our Co-ops and coffee shops are sandwiched between farm stores and bakeries.  Without these unique small business all of our towns become cold, identical, and isolating cement jungles.

Q: What sets you apart as a maker?

A: Our unique partnership sets us apart, Justin is a doctor with a great intuition for writing healing body care recipes  I’m an aesthetically obsessed designer with a love of nature and community: I make sure we present our goods beautifully and share them with as many people as possible.

Our brand is unique because we don’t shy away from long lists of healing ingredients.  We are not afraid to invest in the best ingredients because we know when you try the product you will agree its superior and worth the extra nickel.  We keep cupboards full of zinc, aloe, shea, cocoa butter, hemp, calendula, arnica and so many more.  We also feel strongly that once you have made a product that exceeds expectations it deserves beautiful packaging because every detail matters.  What’s better then having the best lip balm on earth in your pocket?  Having the best lip balm in the cutest tube with the sleekest label that really speaks to your refined sense of style and taste of course.

Q: What are your goals as a maker?

A: Somedays our goal is just to keep up with demand but ultimately our goal is to build a pole barn studio that can double as a community center for maker classes and kinfolk dinners.  

We are always committed to polishing and perfecting every aspect of our product, the recipes of course but also he packaging. It shows in our reviews people are surprised how much they like it when it arrives.

Q: Why be an independent business owner?

A: Freedom! Every kind of freedom you can imagine:  set my own schedule, choose what to focus on, work from where I want, wear what I want and make anything I dream up.  The only thing stopping me from being this free is when the orders are pouring in at which point the customer is the boss.

To learn more about Justin and Holly and all of the wonderful products they're making at The Little Flower Soap Company, visit their website www.littleflowersoap.com.