Today we’d like to introduce you to Adelyana (Addy) Reyes.
Hi Adelyana (Addy), can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hello, my name is Addy and I’m an artist. 
I just came to terms with that reality and I have my business, Tierra Soap Company, to thank.
Tierra Soap Company began as a Artisan Solid Bar Company. But with time it has become an avenue of self expression by means of artful, culturally centered and wellness/ self-care goods. Everything we do is meant to serve the whole body and mind.
We design and create Handcrafted Soaps and other personal care products that help sustain our earth (Tierra) and help maintain our bodies in optimal and clean condition.
We also partner with local businesses and creators to help bring our products and their brand + vision to life. We customize and cater to their brand by making a unique on-of-a kind product just for them.
We say NO to harsh chemicals and work towards eliminating the unnecessary use of material and waste. We try to stay away from the use of plastic as much as possible.
Our story has a unique start being that we weren’t looking to start a business at the time as most people are. My husband and I were just trying out new crafts and hobbies at home during COVID lockdown.
Richard (my husband) is our scientist and I’m more of the designer and manager. He actually created the first bar which was an olive oil-based soap with Rosmary. We began to see that our friends and family members were enjoying the products so we just kept making more and before we knew it we had over 17 varieties and a name.
We believe in creating a meaningful and feel-good products that keep us connected to our Tierra (earth) and somehow connected to each other.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely not, lol. My husband and I have two children – one is a teenager and the other is a toddler. They are the most important part of our lives right now so making sure we are the parents that they need us to be while being business owners make things a bit challenging. We hope we’re making them proud and planting the seed of entrepreneurship in their DNA.
We also are both active in our separate carriers (I’m an accountant and my husband is a Math Professor) so as the business continues to expand, we have to make sure it doesn’t overlap with our full-time jobs.
I would say that’s the hardest part about this. The rest is manageable.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have other interests and hobbies of course. That’s the “problem” with being creative I guess; you want to do it all.
As a child, you could find me crocheting and designing clothes in my drawing pad. I don’t crochet as much now but my daughter has gotten into knitting and has an eye for fashion so it feels like déjà vu. I love and still love photography and painting. I absolutely love music and can’t function without it. I sing at my local church whenever I get a chance. I did and still do anything that allows me to self-express.
But from childhood until it’s time to pick a career, we tend to go into fields of study that offer us a sense of security and that’s what I did. I majored in accounting and later obtained an MBA here in my hometown; but “nothing is ever wasted” (as my Friend Thomia says – an ATL resident btw)
I believe I needed the accounting and business background to help bring our business to where it is. Many creatives struggle with the administrative aspect of their business so I’m grateful to have both the creative and business knowledge to keep us a-float.
In terms of what sets up apart, Innovation, Connection and Creativity is what makes us unique. We believe in creating sustainable products that don’t harm our bodies or our environment. We also use creativity to design a product that allows us to connect with each other. We want our products to remind you of your favorite vacation spot, or the smell of your favorite aunt or favorite holiday while also keeping your skin in optimal health. And if that product is in a container of some sort, we hope it’s reused for something else and not thrown away.
Lastly, we want to be able to one day help as many people as we can by providing soap as a preventative product for those living in areas where something as simple as a soap bar is not the most accessible item.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I think people assume that our business is older than what it is (we are only 1.5 years in officially) but I think it’s because it comes very natural to us.
A lot of people also think that we have a physical shop or run our business as a full-time thing – we do hope to get there one day tho.
Lastly, a lot of people are surprised to know that my husband Richard was the one to develop our first soap bar. I always give home kudos because out of all the countless things we were just having fun with, this one came to change our lives.
Pricing:
- Prices range from $8.60 to $50
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tierrasoap.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/tierrasoapco?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100072391659644&mibextid=LQQJ4d
Image Credits
Leigh Busby Addy Reyes-Ramos Marlyn Acosta
