Today we’d like to introduce you to Marianella Febres-Cordero.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am a Graphic Designer by profession and a published author but when I came to Dallas in 2006, I could not find a job that I wanted to dedicate my time to. I had always been an entrepreneur, always had my own business or worked as a freelancer, so I had to love what I did in order to be productive. I did soaps when I was little because my mother dedicated Sundays to teach us something handcrafted. So, since 2001, I took up soap making in my free time and sold them in Venezuela. When I came to Dallas, I perfected my recipe and started making soaps and sending them to my son who lived in NY. I made him so much soap that he started giving them to his friends and the result was of overwhelming success, they loved them! They claimed that it helped with their eczema and acne and adored the essences, the response was more than fantastic!
So, my son asked me if I wanted to start a company with him and I immediately said yes and that is how Jaboneria Marianella started. A jaboneria, in Spanish, is a place where you make and sell soap. My son does all the packaging design (he is an Animator and Illustrator from Parsons, NY) and the creator of our image, packaging webpage… he has a saying that I love: If you see it, it’s me, if you feel it, it’s my mom. Soon enough, my soaps were in mayor magazines: W, Glamour (our bar was chosen among other seven bars in the whole US), Vogue, Teen Vogue, twice in Oprah for the Holiday Gift Guide and other major magazines. Such exposure landed us a contract with J Crew and our soap was sold nationwide in their shops. That jump from my kitchen in Plano making 45 bars at a time, to nationwide with thousands of bars sold in major luxury boutiques and shops around the country made us expand the business with washes and body creams to where we are today. We have had several Pop-ups in major cities but now, we just want to concentrate on our own brick and mortar store in Brooklyn, NY “The Marianella Soap Bar”, where we now make new products in very small batches, test them directly with the customer and now offer almost 30 new products. We are in FabFitFun’s 2018 Summer Box with our Hawaiian Black Lava Body Caviar (a Sea Salt and oil scrub) which has been an amazing success.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Smooth road? Hardly! Nothing worthwhile can be smooth; growing pains are painful. We had lost the majority in the company due to new investors but we regained ownership in 2016 and had to start all over again. New image, opening up markets. I moved to NY for four months and worked at a pop up we had in 14th Street, then my son came to Dallas and lived here working very hard to rebuild the company. Now, we have our own store in Brooklyn, NY.
Please tell us about what you do.
I am the product formulator, I make up the essences, make product formulas and samples which then I send to my son and he makes the different products in small batches at the store. I think the main characteristic of our company is our essences. When I started making the soaps, I decided that my soaps were not going to smell like all soaps do. Our essences are sophisticated and unique. All based on memories of very important people in my life, my mother, my father, my daughter, my son… and my memories of Venezuela and my travels around the world. The Hawaiian Black Lava, for instance, is a scent that you either LOVE or HATE… no middle term! The reviews from the FabFitFun experience show just that. It is a woody essence Cedar and Saffron, dark and musky and people have fallen in love so much with it that we had to make a body oil with this essence.
We are also going to make other products with this essence. Our oils: Body oils, Face Serum, fragrance roller oils and others which are the rave now, are 100% natural, with a high percentage of pure African oils and other pure fantastic oils! I am most proud of my son who has worked day and night to make the company what it is right now because an image is essential and he has created the image that sets us apart. His dedication is complete. We form a good team, I do my thing and he does his. It is tough to work with family, more so such an intimate link that of a mother and a son. You have to forget you are the mother that a son has to obey… ha, ha, ha… it does not work that way, he is my boss, actually, because he knows best, most of the time.
What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
So many but definitely the reviews I get from people when referring to our products. The way our products soaps, body caviar, oils… make them feel that goes beyond a normal praise. That we are able to affect people in such many ways and make their instances in life better… those are my proudest moments.
Pricing:
- Our 6.5 oz Soap Bars come in 8 essences and are $16 each. Our Soothing and Exfoliating Soap Bars are delicately crafted from an abundance of moisturizing extracts. Softening Goat Milk, healing Colloidal Oatmeal, oil from Morocco’s ancient Argan tree and antioxidant Rice Bran Oil along with a host of other wonderful ingredients to create a beneficial formula that both cleanses and invigorates. We do NOT test our products on animals. Made in U.S.A.
- Imperial Jade Body Oils; 4oz $68/8oz $120 Each jade Body Oil is Made with: 100% Pure Mongongo Oil 100% Pure Argan Oil 100% Pure Pomegranate Oil 100% Pure Marula Oil 100% Pure Grapeseed Oil 100% Pure Apricot Kernel Seed Oil 100% Pure Vitamin E
- The Royal Kalahari Face Serum $90 Each Royal Kalahari Face Serum is handmade with: Kalahari Melon Oil, which has deep moisturizing, regenerating and restructuring properties, thanks to its high content of essential fatty acids. Babobab Oil which is uniquely profiled with Antioxidants Vitamin A, D, E & F as well as Omega 3, 6 & 9 Fatty acids. Monoi de Tahiti Oil, is amazing for moisturizing the skin and hair, slowing signs of aging, soothing inflammation, preventing oxidative stress, minimizing allergic reactions, and protecting against sun damage. Maracuya Passion Fruit Oil has stunning anti-aging properties because of its high levels of vitamin C and its also loaded with antioxidants, it also helps keep skin looking firm and youthful. Also a great source of vitamin A in the form of carotenoids, which helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Camellia Seed Oil softens fine lines, protects against damage caused by age and weather Mongongo/Manketti Oil, high content of Vitamin E, linoleic acid, Omega 6, iron, copper, magnesium, and calcium. Mongongo oil possesses regenerating, hydrating and restructuring properties. It lowers inflammation and promotes repairing cells. Tamanu Oil, benefits extend to a wide range of natural treatments for acne and acne scars, eczema, psoriasis, toenail fungus, stretch marks, age spots, skin rashes, general scarring, dermatitis through to anti-aging.
- Hawaiian Black Lava Body Caviar with Charcoal 7.2oz $48 and the 16oz $86. Our Hawaiian Black Lava Body Caviar is made with Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt, Charcoal, Dead Sea Salt, Epsom Salt, European Fine Sea Salt, Vitamin E, Coconut Oil, Honey, Green Tea Extract, Aloe Vera Extract, Olive Oil, Coffee, Brown Sugar , Soy Bean Oil and Fragrance with No Parabens, No Alcohol, No Silicones, No Phthalates, No Propylene Glycol, No Nitrosamines, No Harsh Chemicals and No Animal Testing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.marianellasoap.com
- Phone: 718.304.5065
- Email: info@marianellasoap.com
Image Credit:
Thomas Wolfe Northcut
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
