Silvey Soaps offers good, clean fun.

For years, Kim Silvey has loved to can the home-grown produce she and her family grow on their farm in California, Missouri. It was during a random search for some canning tips that she stumbled across the soap recipe that would lead to her success in the homemade soap industry.

It was 2015, and she was teaching art at North Elementary School in Holt Summit, Missouri. Armed with a creative bent and a passion to take on new projects, Kim thought making soap would be something fun to try. She remembers being excited to come home from work to cut her first batch of soap, only to have it crumble to pieces.

“That just made me mad because I followed the directions,” Kim says. “So, I just started tweaking the recipe until I found one that I really liked and began giving the soaps away to family and friends.”

She and her husband soon decided her hobby was becoming too expensive to just give away, so she began to increase production and sell her soaps at local farmers markets. It was there that Hy-Vee discovered her, which helped to grow her business further and fuel her success.

Today, Silvey Soaps hosts a thriving online store that ships both locally and to 27 states nationwide. In addition, about 20 specialty boutiques carry the 4.5-ounce, hand-cut soaps; and each August, visitors to the Missouri State Fairin Sedalia, Missouri, can find Silvey Soaps for sale.

“I think my soap speaks for itself because once I can convince someone to try it, they totally fall in love with it,” Kim says. “I’m always amazed at the kind words I get about my soaps.”

Kim produces about 20,000 bars of soap a year in her basement shop — all individually cut by hand. Despite this volume, she remains a one-woman show — making not only the soap but also the labels and packaging that go along with marketing the products. She fills all the company’s orders, handles shipping and distribution ,and keeps the company’s website current and vibrant.

What Kim is most proud of is the fact that she uses as many locally sourced products in her soaps as she can. She sources sunflower oil from Show Me HH Farms located in Hannibal, Missouri; local soybean oil for her lip balms; dried flowers from Flowers on Phoenix in Tipton, Missouri; and lavender from a grower in Bland, Missouri. Kim didn’t plan to make her products as Missouri-centric as they are, but it’s a feature she believes sets her product apart from others.

“I think people really like the fact that I’m a small business, and I support a lot of other small businesses that also support me,” Kim says.

Another thing that sets her soaps apart is the fact that Kim strives to use natural ingredients as much as possible, and each bar of soap lists its ingredients so buyers know exactly what they are getting. All the soaps contain glycerin, an excellent moisturizing agent and natural byproduct. Both essential and fragrance oils go into making her soaps, with scents that range from gamut and lemongrass to bourbon and tobacco. Kim also creates specialty soaps, including a bar for people with sensitive skin named Totally Naked and seasonal soaps, such as Pumpkin Cider in the fall and Sugar Plum Fairy at Christmastime. One of Silvey Soaps’ bestsellers in summer is its Poison Ivy Relief soap made from jewelweed, a common and natural plant that provides relief from poison ivy and bug bites.

Kim thinks of her soap as a simple luxury.

“You may not be able to go on a luxurious vacation or buy expensive things, but you can buy a $6 bar of soap to lift your spirits and make you happy,” she says.

To learn more about this simple luxury, visit silveysoap.com. Silvey soaps can also be found at the Jefferson City Hy-Vee and the Conley Avenue Hy-Vee in Columbia, Missouri.