It started as a hobby, but soap making is quickly becoming a flourishing business for Columbia resident Wing Pokrywka.
When she was diagnosed two years ago with eczema — a medical condition that causes the skin to become inflamed or irritated — she started looking up recipes for handmade soaps that would help soothe her skin while giving her a craft that she could do in her spare time.
“There was a lot of trial and error throughout the whole learning process,” says Pokrywka, a native of Hong Kong who came to the U.S. in 2002 to attend college at Salisbury University.
But she quickly caught on after practice and made the process her own through infusing the recipe with rice water — a traditional ingredient used in Asia as a skin remedy — and creating her company Sumu-Su.
“One day I just decided to add the rice water to the recipe to give it a try and it worked,” says Pokrywka, who works full-time in marketing in addition to her soap venture
In order to make her hobby into a business, she had to find a way to make her product in bulk. Her husband, whom she met in college, stepped up to the plate, crafting a large curing rack, numerous soap molds and a 23-bar soap cutter.
“Growing up, my father had a workshop at our house, so I was fortunate enough to be able to gain experience working with various tools and building things,” says Brandon Pokrywka.
Wing and Brandon Pokrywka run all of their operations for Sumu-Su from their home in Columbia. Wing handles the marketing and business promotion aspects, while Brandon performs the general production and operation sides of the business.
And this July they had a major breakthrough.
After selling their soaps on Etsy for more than a year, they landed a deal with Whole Foods in Annapolis and started selling their soaps in-store for $5.99 per bar and $21.99 per pound by bulk. Since then, they have expanded to the Whole Foods stores in Columbia and Rockville.
“I’m chemically sensitive and allergic to most skin products, and I can use Sumu-Su soap without any reactions or irritations,” says Lindsey Mealey, who became hooked on the soaps after trying a sample at an event. “The soap is moisturizing; it does not dry out my hands like other soaps.”
For more information on Sumu-Su soaps, visit www.sumususoap.com.