Kae Catalano
Olive Tree Soaps
This month we interviewed Kae Catalano, of
Olive Tree Soaps. Her name is familiar to you all, as she pops in
and posts fairly often on the list, and she never misses a discussion
regarding Scottie dogs!!!
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Where you are located?
In a small rural NY town called South Bristol. Most *famous* landmark is
Bristol Mountain, a ski area!
Give us a brief history of you and
your business.
In the Spring of 1999, (the day before
Memorial Day) my husband suffered a terrible thing. A piece of a disc slipped in
his spinal cord and lodged itself against the cord. He was operated on right
away (by a great surgeon who worked on Ted Turner's back!) but the net result
was that he is now classified as an "incomplete paraplegic". This
means that his spinal cord is "whole", but he is unable to control
movement from the waist down.
When this happened, it became obvious that I
was going to have to help out in any way I could. As Mark quizzed me on what I
would like to do, it became obvious to both of us that perhaps my "love
affair" might be a viable way to earn a living for us.
I had been on a couple of soaping email
lists, so people knew me and my name. I decided to "test the
waters". I made a few calls and found a source of cocoa butter and decided
to do a buy on it. Mark and I were amazed as people I had never heard of all
over the US sent funds and joined in! I decided that if people were that
trusting, then perhaps I would indeed be able to sell to fellow soapers!
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Kae and her sweet Scottie dog Angus. |
What do you enjoy most about your
business? Which of your products is your absolute favorite?
I just love getting new things to try and do! Even
though Olive Tree is a small business, I love chatting with people who call and
write! Mark laughs, as most of my friends are the folks I do business with! I
always enjoy talking to others and hearing what they are doing. Although I do
make and sell soaps, I am truly more on the supply end of things. My little
humble soap pot oftentimes is idle…so I guess I do rather live vicariously
though my customers!!!
A favorite item? Hmmmm...It might be the
deep chocolate scent of the prime press cocoa butter. Or the delicious natural
shea. But then, I just love the scent of my Honey and Almond FO in my Land of
Milk and Honey Soap!
(Now...aren't you sorry you asked?)
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Kae's beautiful Almondoolah soap.l |
What makes you different from others
who may carry similar items?
I guess what would make me different from other suppliers is that
because we are small, we are able to ship goodies out quite quickly. I
oftentimes get calls from frustrated soapers who need products YESTERDAY. I am
able to help these poor souls most of the time! Let's see...ah, yes, I also have
a Scottie Dog! That makes me different, too!!!
What interests and hobbies do you have
outside of your business?
Did I mention I like Scottie Dogs? hahaha! I enjoy reading and writing
about these darling little pets! I also home school my two kids (9 and 11 yrs) I
do a lot of reading schoolwork and I am always (re)learning! I also enjoy
photography, and the world's greatest challenge is photographing a Scottie with
a black face and catching ALL the features!
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Angus is all "smiles". |
Where do you want to go, in regards to
both yourself and your business?
I really enjoy soapmaking and supplying good quality products to small soapers.
I enjoy the camaraderie that I share with my customers. I enjoy chatting
with them. I guess I would have to say that I would not be disappointed to stay
a small business. Of course, were the business to grow, I suppose I would enjoy
that, too! With the kids being young, it is nice to be small.
Please share a recipe using your
products with your fellow Soapnuts.
Well...this is a "standard" recipe that I have shared freely. I love
this soap and to give it a different character, just try using a different
liquid oil in place of the Sweet Almond.
Kae’s Land of Milk and Honey Soap
32 oz olive oil
16 oz palm kernel flakes
8 oz cocoa butter
4 oz shea butter|
4 oz sweet almond oil
8.5 oz lye
22 oz water
My favorite bar is my Land of Milk and Honey. I add 3 tablespoons ground
oatmeal, 4 tablespoons goatsmilk powder and 2 oz. Honey and Almond FO.
Contact Info:
Olive Tree Soaps
Kae Catalano
(585)374-8567
www. olivetreesoaps.com
~ Kae Catalano & Khadijah Lacina
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