NORFOLK, Virginia — Norfolk resident Katie Smith has been using Nofo soaps for six years. She and her husband like the essential oil soaps.
“I like that you can recognize every ingredient that’s on the label, said Smith. I can order all of my soaps online, we do porch pickup, I can walk with my son and dog up the street,”
Porch pickup is just one of the things that make the Nofo soap company unique.
The heart of the company is with its owners, Juliette and Stephen Doyle who make the soap in their kitchen in Norfolk’s Ocean View neighborhood.
Nofo was born a little more than 10 years ago when Juliette was looking for a way to earn extra money but not be tied down to a 9-5 job. She turned to her faith for guidance.
“Lord just direct me I need to know something I can do, something I could do, with him, and that I wouldn’t get bored of but I could still be creative,” said Juliette.
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“I had the most vivid dream that I was making lavender soap, so I went to the college of YouTube and looked at videos of how to make soap,” said Doyle.
Having taught math and chemistry at Norfolk Christian High School, Stephen was a big help.
"I do the math for her because she’s not as good at it, she does the artistic, " said Stephen.
And as I found out there actually is a lot more science and math that goes into making soap than I thought.
“If you look up a process called saponification that’s what’s going on in there,” said Stephen.
He goes on to say “The oil and the lye are connecting in ways that’s very complicated. It turns from oil that you can rub on your skin and lye that will burn you and hurt you and you put them together and you can wash with it, it's crazy, that’s an unfancy way to explain the chemistry,”
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In soapmaking and in life, the pair complement each other.
“We have a divided labor system here. I mix the lye and the oils and she puts them together,” said Stephen.
Juliette creates the artwork for all the soaps and salves.
“I really wanted every soap to have its own label and its own personality. The back of every soap I have a lavender behind the Nofo because that was my dream, that was my inspiration,” said Juliette.
After measuring, mixing, and cooking, with some help from the grandkids, the soap goes to the basement.
“You cut it in two days and it sits on a shelf for four weeks to cure and harden before we can sell it,” said Stephen.
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I originally thought Nofo was short for Norfolk, but it’s actually inspired by North Fork, Long Island in New York, a place where the couple’s family has owned a cottage for generations.
The Doyles have been married for 51 years so I had to ask them how they manage to work together so closely AND maintain a healthy marriage.
“Our faith sustains us," said Stephen.
And Juliette chimes in.
"We are also kind to each other, that goes a long way," she said.
And the kindness and consideration they have for each other has a ripple effect.
Doing what you love with who you love is part of what makes the Nofo Soap Company Positively Hampton Roads.
“We’re very grateful that we met and that we’re together,” said Juliette.
You can catch the couple at the Farmer's Market in Ocean View most Saturdays from 9-am to noon or you can order online at https://www.nofosoaps.com/
