Dr. Bronner’s is synonymous with Old World quality and time-honored simplicity, which can be traced back to the family’s German-Jewish soapmaking tradition. Born in 1908 to a Jewish family that had been making soap since 1858, Emanuel Bronner was the third generation certified as a master soapmaker under the guild system of the time. In 1929, he brought his formulas for high-quality liquid and bar soaps to America, starting Dr. Bronner’s in its current form in 1948.
Our soaps, renowned for their quality, versatility and eco-friendliness, enjoyed a small but loyal following in the early years. In the late 1960s, however, soap sales started to explode, due to the unsurpassed ecological quality combined with Emanuel Bronner’s urgent message to realize our transcendent unity across religious and ethnic divides. Word-of-mouth soon made Dr. Bronner’s the iconic soap of that era, and in the decades that followed the soaps spread into every health food store in the U.S. and then into the mainstream as well – winning over fans from all walks of life on the way to becoming the number-one-selling brand of natural soaps in North America.
The 4th and 5th generations of the Bronner family who run the company today continue to make our unsurpassed soaps with care and integrity. 2008 marked both the 60th anniversary of Dr. Bronner’s in America and the 150th anniversary of our family’s first soapmaking activity in southern Germany.
Today, Dr. Bronner’s continues its mission and commitment to building an engine for promoting and advancing positive social change. From pioneering USDA certified organic personal care products, to creating Fair Trade projects across the world that ensure fair and just treatment of farmers and workers, to creating a socially responsible workplace here in the U.S., we strive to honor our heritage with progressive business practices, while devoting profits to worthwhile causes and charities worldwide.
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