by Hayley Helms
photographs by Neal Handloser
TRANSFORMATION DOESN’T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. At Dr. Bronner’s — the family-run company specializing in organic, fair-trade soap and personal care products — evolution has occurred over generations. For more than 75 years, the business has transcended cultural movements and global shifts to become one of the most popular and values-driven companies in our modern consumer landscape. With a unique founding philosophy and commitments to environmental sustainability, regenerative organic farming practices, social justice, and corporate responsibility, Dr. Bronner’s is a master class in adapting to change while remaining true to a vision. I’m sitting on a colorful, squishy sofa in David Bronner’s office, located in Dr. Bronner’s Vista, California, headquarters. David, the company’s CEO (that’s Cosmic Engagement Officer here) perches across from me on his own comfy, lived-in couch. We quickly dive into all things Dr. Bronner’s, including the company’s production partners in the Middle East; its sister companies in Sri Lanka and Ghana that invest in fair trade and ethically produced coconut, palm, and cacao oil; and the brand’s championing of therapeutic psychedelics — work David personally oversees. And, of course, we’re talking about soap. The company is an intriguing, somewhat mystifying congruence of high- minded values and boots-on-the-ground methods catalyzed by a simple product for washing up. It turns out, there’s more to Dr. Bronner’s than you might expect.
BEHIND THE MAGIC OF THE DR. BRONNER’S LEGACY TO LATHER, RINSE, AND REGENERATE HERE ON GOD’S SPACESHIP EARTH.
Left: Emanuel Bronner, founder of Dr. Bronner’s, with his magic soaps in Escondido, California, in 1978. Above: The mysterious evolution of the bottle copy is a collection of Bronner’s wisdom.
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