Our Story
Adopted Acres Soap Co. started with a straight razor, a rabbit hole, and an idea that became much bigger than we ever expected.
It began when Doug sharpened a straight razor for someone and became curious about traditional wet shaving. That curiosity quickly turned into an obsession—razors, brushes, bowls, soaps, splashes, and, of course, scents. Before long, Doug had claimed a closet in our home for all things shaving and was shaving far more often than any reasonable person probably should!
After trying shave soaps from artisans across the wet shaving community, Doug started wondering what he could create himself. He wanted a shave soap built around ingredients he believed in, with excellent lather, cushion, glide, and post-shave feel.
One ingredient made perfect sense: beef tallow from our family's Angus cattle farm here in Ohio.
Our family has been farming for generations, and Cara's family raises Angus beef cattle on more than 1,000 acres. Doug began rendering beef suet into tallow and experimenting with it in his shave soap formulations. What started as an experiment at home eventually became the foundation for Adopted Acres Soap Co.
But the soap was never really the whole story.
Why We Do This
Doug and Cara are parents to six adopted children, with five still at home, several of whom have physical, developmental, or cognitive disabilities. As our children have grown, one question has become increasingly important to us:
What happens when they age out of the school system?
We wanted to build something that could eventually provide meaningful, purposeful employment for our own children—and hopefully for other individuals with disabilities in our community as well.
That is the heart behind Adopted Acres Soap Co.
What began with shave soap has grown into a family business creating artisan shave soaps, aftershave splashes, pump shave creams, skincare products, fragrances, and other small-batch creations. We formulate and make our products ourselves in Ashville, Ohio, and we're constantly experimenting, learning, and working to make the next batch even better than the last.
Along the way, the traditional wet shaving community has become an unexpected part of our family. We've met incredible people who have encouraged us, tested products, shared knowledge, collaborated on scents, supported our releases, and believed in what we're trying to build. We wouldn't be where we are without them.
More Than Soap
Our long-term dream is bigger than an online soap company.
We hope to eventually open a brick-and-mortar location in the Ashville area where our children can work alongside other individuals with disabilities in a place where their contributions are valued and their abilities—not their limitations—are what matter.
Every soap we make, every bottle we fill, every label we apply, and every order that leaves our little Ohio farm moves us a little closer to that goal.
So when you purchase something from Adopted Acres Soap Co., you're supporting much more than a small family business. You're helping us build something we hope will last for generations and create opportunities for people we love.
From our family and our farm to you—thank you for being part of the journey.
Adopted Acres Soap Co.
Ashville, Ohio
Love Does Hard Things.