Vivo Natural Products Makes Soap Packages Zen-Fully Clean

"Personal Care. Global Impact. This is our slogan," says Michael Talve, founder and managing director of Vivo Natural Products. "We create the finest body care products and do our part to help make the world a better place." Vivo Natural Products, based in Port Jefferson Station, NY, offers a line of natural bar soaps made from shea butter produced by a cooperative of female entrepreneurs in Africa. The soaps have sold very well due to a combination of eye-catching packaging and quality ingredients. "So many people watch what they eat and drink and millions go to the gym so they look and feel healthy," Talve goes on. "But what about the soap we use on our skin each and every day? I felt it was important to offer a high quality body soap that works well with all skin types-and try to build buzz-hoping the product would gain traction. Fortunately, it has."

Out of Africa

The line of soaps that debuted in 2007 has five SKUs available; all made from globally sourced ingredients, including shea butter from Togo, West Africa. Choosing this shea butter has a twofold benefit. It is great for nourishing and healing skin, and it supports the lives of poor women in West Africa. By purchasing the shea butter at fair prices, the African entrepreneurs are able to grow their businesses and increase their quality of living, earn a living wage, send their children to school, and purchase food and clothing. "Our shea butter tells an important story that we will build upon with future products," says Talve. "So many consumer product brands partner with charities and donate a percentage of sales to an organization that they believe in. This is a great step in corporate responsibility, but philanthropy alone isn't the answer to economic development and poverty elimination. Successful entrepreneurship, at the most micro level, is far more sustainable and effective than any charity could ever be."

In addition to the shea butter, the rest of the ingredients in the soap bars are natural, and some even food grade. The base of the soap blends the shea butter with fine natural oils including olive, coconut, and palm. The packages for the bars of soap are made from Mohawk's Renewal Paper stock. Mohawk manufactures the stock with wind power in a carbon neutral facility, and Renewal Paper is acid-free and composed of 80% post-consumer recycled material. It is a strong, embossed paper that reveals fibers when observed closely, conveying the feeling of "natural." "There are some ways to save money," Talve says, "but there are other expenses that are simply built into our business model, and we have to work around them. Although Renewal Paper is expensive, it looks great and it is well aligned with our environmental and sustainability objectives. We wouldn't use anything less."

Out on the shelf

Talve wanted his brand to have meaningful colors, and noticed that many of the big players use white or blue for their bar soap packaging. As a relatively unknown brand, VNP chose brown as its signature color to go against the category. "Brown is the antithesis of clean," says Talve. "Some people discouraged me from making this color so prevalent on our boxes at first. I went with my gut instinct after putting different sample box designs on the shelf and seeing how they fit. It really pops out at you when you see our products in the store." Shape was also used to differentiate in several ways. VNP made the soaps themselves round instead of typical rectangular. The shape wears evenly, it is easy to hold in the shower, and it allows the box to also be a differentiating square shape. The soaps are priced as an "affordable luxury" about $1 more than the big players in a typical retailer. VNP chose natural and organic retailer Whole Foods to launch the line of soaps nationally. It was thought that the store's customers would be most receptive to the products, as VNP and Whole Foods' target market are in sync with the notion of paying slightly more money for products that are better for consumer and the environment.

Each carton serves as a billboard for the brand and for its social efforts. There is also an image of a map of Africa, with a star identifying Togo. Rounding out the packages are explanations of the ingredients that create the fragrances and information about the women who hand-prepare the shea butter are also included. Maintaining consistency for future SKUs was a difficult task for VNP when designing the bar soap packages. Lines of liquid soaps, hair care, and oral care products were being developed while the original bar soap and its packaging were in the works. "I knew that bar soap is just the tip of the iceberg for where our business will eventually be in a few more years, and I wanted a package that would help to build brand awareness," says Talve. "Our design philosophy is not an easy one to put a finger on," concludes Talve. "Our target market is big-very big. However, with that in mind, it's very difficult to please everyone; many brands run themselves tired by trying to do just that. We've decided to go with our instincts and design a product that is attractive to many and irreplaceable to some."

Source: Vivo