LEBANON: A Lebanese soap maker creates an ecovillage in Koura to produce organic, handmade and locally sourced bars of soap. The region is known for its olive, grape and soap production due to the vegetation in the area

Record ID: 431433

  • Title: LEBANON: A Lebanese soap maker creates an ecovillage in Koura to produce organic, handmade and locally sourced bars of soap. The region is known for its olive, grape and soap production due to the vegetation in the area
  • Date: 27th January 2014
  • Summary: KOURA, LEBANON (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF SOAP MAKING SITE WOMAN COLLECTING PLANTS CLOSE OF PLANTS BEING PICKED VARIOUS OF ANOTHER WOMAN COLLECTING PLANTS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) OWNER OF BADR HASSOUN ENVIRONMENTAL GARDEN, BADR HASSOUN, SAYING: "Our industry is environmentally friendly, we plant, even in our industry circle, we start from the land and return back to it, so we plant to get the product. We continue in the manufacturing circle to reach the consumer and the waste - it is not called waste because we don't have waste - the rest of our products is like food, it becomes animal feed and land fertiliser." "THE SOAP VILLAGE" LABORATORY WITH SIGN ON WALL READING (English/Arabic): "SCIENTIFIC LABORATORY" VARIOUS OF LABORATORY WORKERS ENGAGED IN NATURAL SHAMPOO MAKING PROCESS VARIOUS OF ELEMENTS THAT ARE USED IN PRODUCTS IN JARS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MANAGER AT LABORATORY, OUSSAMA HASSOUN, SAYING: "We make 100 percent natural shampoo, its ingredients are extracted from natural resources. Some we source from our own land up there, like the rosemary. We extract the right substances from it and then we take it to the machine up in the factory, which drips the plant and extract the liquid and oils. We use these plants in the soap also." MAN IN TRADITIONAL CLOTHING INVOLVED IN SOAP MAKING PROCESS VARIOUS OF ANOTHER WORKER USING MACHINERY IN THE FACTORY BROWN SOAPS ALIGNED IN BOXES ON THE FACTORY FLOOR VARIOUS OF MAN KNEADING SOAP (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MARKETING DIRECTOR IN BADR HASSOUN ENVIRONMENTAL GARDEN, AMIR BADR HASSOUN, SAYING: "We already make the Khan al-Saboun (Soap Khan) in this environmental garden, our products are ambassadors of nature and environment because everything we make is organic. It is all organic and natural. Our slogan is 'Back to Nature'. The people are now going back to what it is natural, environmental, does not hurt the skin, does not hurt the body, and thank God we are seeing great demand for our products from people in Europe, U.S. and the Gulf. We have married technology to heritage - Khan al-Saboun is a 600-year-old building in Tripoli, soap making is in its spirit and we brought back this industry." VARIOUS OF FACTORY WORKERS PROCESSING SOAP GREEN SOAP (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MARKETING DIRECTOR IN BADR HASSOUN ENVIRONMENTAL GARDEN, AMIR BADR HASSOUN, SAYING: "We have turned traditional soap into a legend, Khan al-Saboun produces 1,400 types of soaps, so our laboratories, the laboratories of Dr. Badr Hassoun, are producing great and very distinctive items. Now you can find Khan al-Saboun products that are proudly made in Lebanon, Europe, China and Japan - a Lebanese product. This not only highlights the industry, with God's help, but also the production and quality of it. If you have good quality, you have good business, so our own focus is on quality." VARIOUS OF WOMAN CUTTING CUBES OF ORGANIC SOAP INTO SHAPE AND PLACING THEM INTO A BOX BARS OF SOAP IN BOX WORKERS CUTTING LARGE CHUNK OF SOAP COMPANY'S MOST EXPENSIVE SOAP BAR ON DISPLAY IN FACTORY WRITING ON STAND READS (ARABIC/ENGLISH): "THE WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE SOAP" CLOSE OF SOAP BAR MADE WITH GOLD AND STUDDED WITH DIAMONDS VIEWS OF "SOAP VILLAGE" IN KOURA
  • Embargoed: 11th February 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Lebanon
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Topics: Business,General
  • Reuters ID: LVABSP88AZORN0Z6D4E87X3H771F
  • Story Text: A Lebanese soap maker in the region of Koura has created an ecovillage that produces organic, handmade and locally sourced bars of soap and shampoo.
    The Badr Hassoun Environmental Garden's 'Soap Village' is only a ten minute drive from the heart of the Lebanese northern city of Tripoli.
    Many of the ingredients used in the organic products are grown in the gardens of the ecovillage, where the company's offices and laboratory are also based.
    Badr Hassoun who own the gardens says all products are organic and any waste is recycled.

    "Our industry is environmentally friendly, we plant, even in our industry circle, we start from the land and return back to it, so we plant to get the product. We continue in the manufacturing circle to reach the consumer and the waste - it is not called waste because we don't have waste - the rest of our products is like food, it becomes animal feed and land fertiliser The region rich in vegetation is already well known for its olive, grape and soap production.
    Laboratory manager, Oussama Hassoun explained how the organic shampoo making process starts.

    "We make 100 percent natural shampoo, its ingredients are extracted from natural resources. Some we source from our own land up there, like the rosemary. We extract the right substances from it and then we take it to the machine up in the factory, which drips the plant and extract the liquid and oils. We use these plants in the soap also," he said.
    Marketing director, Amir Badr Hassoun says the produce of ecovillage applies new technology while preserving Lebanon's soap making traditions.
    Amir Badr Hassoun, who is owner Badr Hassoun's son, adds their Khan al-Saboun range represents Lebanon's organic producing abilities to the world.

    "We already make the Khan al-Saboun (Soap Khan) in this environmental garden, our products are ambassadors of nature and environment because everything we make is organic. It is all organic and natural. Our slogan is 'Back to Nature'. The people are now going back to what is natural, environmental, does not hurt the skin, does not hurt the body, and thank God we are seeing great demand for our products from people in Europe, U.S. and the Gulf. We have married technology to heritage - Khan al-Saboun is a 600-year-old building in Tripoli, soap making is in its spirit and we brought back this industry," Amir Badr Hassoun told Reuters TV recently.
    Amir Badr Hassoun said the environmentally friendly company's products compete alongside others in the international market.

    "We have turned traditional soap into a legend, Khan al-Saboun produces 1,400 types of soaps, so our laboratories, the laboratories of Dr. Badr Hassoun, are producing great and very distinctive items. Now you can find Khan al-Saboun products that are proudly made in Lebanon, Europe, China and Japan - a Lebanese product. This not only highlights the industry, with God's help, but also the production and quality of it. If you have good quality, you have good business, so our own focus is on quality," he said.
    The range of products made by the factory in 'Soap Village' also includes what the company brands as the 'world's most expensive' bar of soap. Proudly on display in the factory in Koura, the Royal Qatar Soap is studded with gold and diamonds.
    The luxury soap range was unveiled at the World Luxury Expo in Qatar late in 2013 and costs 3,800 USD per bar.
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