How Lebanon’s Oldest Soap Factory Makes 30,000 Olive Oil Bars | Still Standing | Insider Business
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- Опубликовано: 13 май 2024
- Artisans have been producing traditional olive oil soap at Masbanat Awaida for over 140 years. A century ago, there were dozens of soap factories like this in Tripoli, Lebanon. Today, Masbanat Awaida is the only one remaining. For more information, head to www.masbanatawaida.com.
00:00 - Introduction
00:58 - Making the soap
01:17 - Preparing the Floor
01:28 - Pouring the Liquid Olive Oil Soap
02:41 - Evening the Soap
03:25 - Shaving and Marking the Soap
04:48 - Stamping the Soap Bars
05:20 - Cutting the Soap Bars
06:43 - History of Olive Oil Soap
07:24 - New Soap Solutions
07:58 - Stacking the Soap Bars
08:32 - Olive Oil Making in Nablus and Aleppo
10:28 - The Future of Owaida’s Soap
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How Lebanon’s Oldest Soap Factory Makes 30,000 Olive Oil Bars | Still Standing | Insider Business
Who else has the urge to actually go and support this business and buy a few bars?
please do. Its a very good product. I had many problems with dry skin and dry beard. switched to traditional olive oil soap and dont have any problems anymore. Its easier to take with you when traveling (less weight and not liquid)
I have reached out to Walid to fund the materials to fix his factory floor.
I contacted him about buying him a new bucket
Me ✋️I wanted to visit Tripoli for long time. It's s beautiful city and nice people. I plan to go someday and support them as much as I can
just bought a 6 pack from amazon. cheers.
Lebanese olive oil soap is so good for your skin, especially if you suffer from psoriasis or eczema. I’m glad to see that it’s still made in a traditional way.
can you use it for youre hair?
No it's not. High risk of allergy sensitization, especially disease ridden skins
Been using olive oil soap to condition my hair after I wrecked it with chemical dyes 😖 It's so much better than conditioner and leaves my very damaged hair feeling soft and smooth. Just remember to rinse well afterwards!
@@Sam-jw3xiweak american
Lebanese magic. Horseshit nonsense.
I’m from Aleppo and we used these olive soaps since we were kids! While modern soap has replaced some parts of our lives, olive soap is still used for showering/bathing in most households :)
Are you still in Aleppo? My grandfather is from there and I always wanted to visit but I was told being American there is dangerous.
Aleppo? Católicos do Brasil fazem orações pelas pessoas de Aleppo. Vocês são resistentes, bravos e fortes, são exemplo para um Mundo cheio de fracos, frouxos e mimados.
@@trcythmpsn Aleppo is most likely safer than Detroit, Chicago or NY.
Nice to hear that. Olive oil has alot benefits for skin. I.e: soften, smooth skin, hydrating. ❤
That’s the soap I buy ☺️
There is always something so gratifying about products with simplicity, quality, and passion behind them. I see on their website that it is a $1 per bar. Buying now. Thank you Business Insider for highlighting these small to medium businesses
how much is shipping?
I immediately went to their website to support this business and was shocked at the prices. So much work goes into this craft. So much passion from the owner and employees. I'll definitely be picking up a few bars in different scents, as well as the good ol traditional
@@bonitabromeliads I don't see a shipping cost, either pay upon delivery or a direct bank transfer. Going to reach out to them to see if there's another option for payment.
Can you link their website?
@@adelasefora it's in the description of the video
Canadian man here who suffered from severe eczema and psoriasis this soap is God sent 20 years later at the age of 40 no psoriasis and not a wringle on sight thank you for your hardwork.
Ps in Canada this is found in most major cities in middle Eastern or specialty stores make sure you look for the stamp I've come across the one from Lebanon and Syria
They rely on nature more than technology. I wish we had something like it, in addition to the fact that there is nothing better than Syrian soap
I just received four bars from the West Bank. I have extremely dry skin and psoriasis so I’m anxious to see if it helps!
@@ajhwood1961 Did it help?
As an artisan soap maker in the US, I greatly appreciated that companies like this still exist.
In some arab countries we still make olive oil soap at home! Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Syria ..
It's a shame that wars have ruined so many lives, all around the world. I find the whole soap making process fascinating.
Ya many of them thanks to the us
@@1000OtherFoxes US and its Greed
Israel and USA
@@x87-64
israel is the most evil place i've ever been to
@@x87-64 not like Russia is anymore innocent.
We must support this old soap factory. Nothing beats the old fashioned way. We must preserve and enrich more!!❤
if only it wasn't so inefficient
@@alpha04ify There does seem like a lot of ways you could improve this. Pump for starters. Build a crane with the ability to cut using a cnc type thing along with stamping. Though I do think you would need to build better equiped rooms. Yet I am sure you could make the same process on a factory line and the product would still come out the same.
I have been using the same soap for over 40 years and likely will never change.
@@kameljoe21 It's interesting to see these primitive ways, but clinging to it is silly. Our factories make soap at about 1/100th of the cost of these soaps, why would anyone want to preserve this is beyond me... Guess it's that artisanal feeling.
@@SoulWhite I think this process of hot soap is unlike the mass produced stuff.
I am not sure to be honest. Yet there are some things that have to be made the same way or it does not work.
I can use an example as things like swiss cheese. The holes are caused by hay. Yes containimates is what causes the holes which is why you can find a lot of mass produced swiss cheese that does not have holes in it. To get the holes you have to add so much ground hay dust in to the mix.
This is just one example why the old ways must still be used.
@@SoulWhite its a dollar for 182 grams of soap. There also isn't too much incentive to make it cheaper because you just get diminishing returns with savings at this scale of production. Not to mention that tourists come to the factory to see the traditional methods and not a mass producing factory.
I can feel the back pain.
Their method is so unproductive. They could make a standardized wood or metal frame (like 50cmx50cmx5cm). Pour the soap mixture until overflowing, level it out with a stick. For stamping and cutting a simple mechanical press that stamp the whole frame then cut into cubes. This whole process can be done without electricity and materials for setting the work environnement isnt expensive. Making employees life way easier
@@TheHenvygreat point
@@TheHenvy true im sure there are lots of basic upgrades that would be very productive while still staying traditional and even manual if they want but hey to each their own
@@TheHenvyIt still requires money to go with that method. Imagine the number of boxes needed to go through the whole batch. Also, as long as labor is cheaper than the machines that can make labor easier nothing will change. Only when over half of Lebanon's population disappeared will those suggestions be taken...
😂😂😂😂❤ you mean you can feel the real work
I would love to stock a room with that. I'm a big believer in the health benefits of olive oil and basic soap. These guys are making magic.
where can we buy? Insider doesn't even post a link to their web site. Plus also I wish they would just ship to other countries to make money. That could probably help in keeping the business going and getting more demand for it!
@boohere2 They are in Lebanon. People literally need to rob banks to get their life savings back in Lebanon, it's a miracle they are still working at all. You'd probably need to go there.
@@boohere2 There's a link in the description
@@boohere2 palmolive website
@@boohere2amazon
I'm from Lebanon and I can tell this soap is the best. I use it daily
I am sure their product is so much better than the modern corporatized phony chemical soaps products as you could imagine. Just look at the list of ingredients in these hideous new products: chemical after chemical. People who can find this original soap to buy, that has been around for centuries, are onto a great thing. With a bit of marketing, maybe they could make it a worldwide thing? Natural soap, just as it was originally made, without unnatural additives. I would love to find some someday!
@MrP2409 Chemicals are there for a reason - to make the soap clean better. You think they'd put them in there for fun? 😅
@@c_n_b They put them in there because they get a cheaper product that lasts longer. They definitively do not 'clean better'.
@@NinoNiemanThe1st it has chemicals in it like any soap
@@hassyg4083 Obviously, everything is s a chemical. But not the long list of laboratory made unnatural chemicals that do not even exist in nature, and whose effects are untested. Stick to natural.
I wish I had known about this place when I visited Lebanon years ago. I will definitely keep it on my list for our next visit to this beautiful country.
your profile picture is amazing
In Calgary-Canada we have the fortune of having a syrian soap maker who unfortunately had to flee his home city Aleppo. He makes authentic Aleppo soap in the heart of Western Canada. Best soap on Earth!
I’m a soap maker and that’s one of the best soap ever. Pure olive oil soap! Amazing for eczema and other skin problems.
but girls hated these soap tho
I bet this soap is much better than Unilevers selection
After watching a video ears ago about the original olive oil soap from the Mid-East, I actually started making my own using mostly olive oil and coconut oil. I make a batch about twice a year and still use it today; so thank you for what you continue to do.
did you have a "how to"guide to follow in doing this?
I tried making my own soap and got two batches of bubbling oozing mess so haven’t tried since. Soap isn’t expensive, so it’s not worth it at all.
Hmmm that's not the point of this video hun
I don’t think coconut is part of a true olive oil soap
can you describe your process?
Clearly this business is in good hands. He preserves the tradition while adding modern products. That's exactly how it should be.
S/O to 'Business Insider' for finally posting the links of these businesses so we can support! 💪🏽
I think Insider should start a new program supporting these small scale industries. Maybe Insider can act as a middleman of sorts from whom we can buy like Amazon
Amazon intentionally ruins their small partner businesses, so it's a rather bad example. But what you mean is that they should act as retailers.
@@airtale8725 yea thats it. My bad
Good business idea. Someone else could set it up then partner with them
They have a website which has an online shop.
I think US government should stop supporting Iran. This will lower taxes in Lebanon and ease government regulations on most industries, which in turn will make producing this wonderful product (as well as many others) cheaper and hence more abundant and available to the broader public instead of inorganic big industry substitutes.
$2.60 for 6 bars is a pretty good deal i was expecting these to be super expensive most of their stuff is super reasonable masbanat awaida is the store like this to spread awareness to the stores name
I had been there in 2010 and bought soaps. They were great quality, and the factory itself is a great place to visit as a tourist..
Husni is a real man. If anyone in the future ask me who u wanna be like, I'll reply, "I want to be like Husni"
I used to use the services of a local tailor many years ago. He was from Lebanon and he'd buy me a cake of "raw" artisanal olive oil soap whenever he went there for holidays. It was wonderful soap.
My aunt in Lebanon makes olive soap each year and preserves a share for me :) I've been using olive soap as a shampoo and body wash since I was a kid. It's very popular in the Levant. Bundle that with a large loofah, and nothing can beat these two combinations in a shower. While "liquid soap" might be cheaper and used for hand wash, it can't be used in a shower.
Liquid soap can absolutely be used in the shower, just put it on a loofah and it’s suds up
As a soap maker i appreciate this
This soap must feel amazing. I wish I could visit and buy some. I also love the way the craftsmen remain devoted to their traditional product.
They have a online website but I’m not sure what it’s called 😅
they have an online site! the website is in their description:)
You can buy them in middle eastern supermarkets
I am iraqi and we use the olive oil since I was kid but now am a grandmother and not in Iraq but I still love to use the olive oil soap and doing my best to looking for anywhere to buy and use 😊please keep this beautiful history a live it's part of our main custom and Culter😢
iraq doesnt exist only kurdistan
Cyprus also has traditional olive oil soap similar to that still. We still use it (not everyone though, as factory soaps are cheaper unfortunately 😕) for everyday occasions such as bathing, clothes, hand washing and even to remove pesticides (small like ants animals) from garden vegetables. Traditional olive oil soaps foaming water can dumped in garden without been afraid of destroying the garden as it doesn't have chemicals. Most Mediterranean countries have these and no worries these teaching won't lost, soon it will flourishing again.☦️
The value of handmade things seems to be waning with each generation that passes. This was an outstanding look at one man's passion. Thank you for sharing and him for being persistent!
Hats off to all artisan, traditional producers across the world, no matter what they make.
I love this. Nothing harming nature. I would buy this soap for sure.
You can buy them in middle eastern stores in the West.
Very affordable too. Doogle mid-east grocery places in your area. Definitely sell them.
I mean, using HOT lye is still a dangerous process. And none of those people are wearing adequate protective gear for their hands and eyes, just their feet. Lye itself needs to be extracted from raw materials in a process that we don't see here - we don't know where they source it from.
@@beckstheimpatient4135 They are doing it for centuries. Perhaps they got the hang of it.
Comercial soap bars are made with oil and caustic soda too, there's nothing special about this
Lebanon has a lot of wonders because of its creative people
😂😂😂😂😂
Lots completely backwards and unbelievably inefficient. Destined to fail
anyone can make soap lol
@@WiseOwl_1408it’s been there for thousands of years and it’ll stay for thousands of years, you’re a brainrot
Thank you for sharing this. I immediately went to Amazon and ordered a 6 pack of bars as gifts. Bless.... Brothers like them help make the world go round! Cheers 👊
Can you share the link
@@bintzuhdCouldn't find the Amazon link but if you Google Masbanat Awaida the first result is the soap maker's website.
link?
I can’t find them
Do you think you share the link? I've had no luck locating them on amazon, but I'd love to buy some
I buy this soap and I live Australia, it is just the most beautiful soap to use for my hair and body..
Hi Jody, where from? I also love in Australia
God bless Lebanon
Whatever is left of it after our criminals! - politicians that is siphoned / stole 10s of billions to Europe and USA
I discovered olive soap a couple of years ago.. would never go back to some modern chemical soap. Interesting to see the Hand work. Respect
All soap is chemical, what do you mean? Olive oil soap is great, but each oil has different benefits. Coconut oil, shea butter, castor oil, even additives such as goat milk, honey or clay can make a wonderful soap. But at its base it does need lye - it does need a very harsh (and dangerous) chemical. It just happens that some chemicals were easier for our ancestors to isolate.
Chemical isn't bad - everything is chemical. Your body is entirely powered by chemical reactions.
I guess literal caustic soda is not a "chemical" then 😂
Just cause it's made by hand it doesn't mean it doesn't have "chemicals"
damn cheesy u got bad education . also its just cheaper to buy palm olive
If you're in Canada, there's a company called SHARBO which makes this soap. They moved their factory from Aleppo to Montreal decades ago.
That soap is extremely good. A lot of Middle Eastern shops in the US sell it.
Simple is the best
I use this kind of soap since few years, and my skin has never been more beautiful ❤️
I've been using olive oil soap for years and am not planning on changing that anytime soon. Especially after watching this special. Thank you for sharing!
I am obsessed with the Narrator how beautifully speaking their arabic names
Olive oil soap is healthier and safer than the chemical one. I regularly buy it here in Morocco, but I'm not sure if they make it in a traditional way like these gentlemen do.
The amount of effort they are putting in this business cannot be encompassed in one documentary.
I think the owner should inculcate such values in his children so they hv a sense of belonging & attachment. Keep feeding them information about family business & the hardships attached(for reality check).
So once they grow up. They are fond of taking over this family business & this unique legacy of 130 years
Our Labanese & Palestinian brothers are the bravest. Eachtime i see your sufferings it brings tears into my eyes. I pray no hardships ever come your way. Ameen
Lots of respect from Pakistan & we would love to collaborate in such business ventures with our brothers
Love the video. Really like they way they hold to honest traditions that value hard work and a good end product.
What a great story about a historic industry. I hope these ancient traditional soap makers continue long into the future, maybe social media can help them? They are about as honest and as far as you could get from corporates like that LA Flamingo Estate thing for example!
I love this. Thank you for sharing this video. These traditional values and methods of craft are a beautiful part of our shared heritage that no twitter feed or algorithm can replace.
I have been looking for a traditional soap maker for a long time. The fact I stumbled onto this video makes me happy.
This is why i always buy Lebanese olive oil soap really a master piece ❤
I am from Israel and i wish i could visit these places and learn from their traditions and enjoy the beautiful scenery and rich history.
may we sit soon together as one big family in days of peace and prosper.
God bless you!
and Thank you for this amazing video!
Just drive across the border my man.
@@eustab.anas-mann9510 Not that easy if you want to stay alive. It isn't like them visiting Israel.
Palestine*
its not hard to make soap
I am supporting this business...watching the labor of love that goes into the making of the soap I am ordering!❤
I'm from Egypt, I tried Syrian soup as we have many Syrians here since the civil war started, but would love to buy the Lebanese .
the Tripoli accent is sooo different and distinctive from main stream Lebanese accent.
❤ respect
Hello from Australia my friends. This is truly amazing. I hope this beautiful tradition continues. God is great.
Olive oil soap is excellent when you can get it. Let's hope that these craftsmen can continue making this great product.
I use this soap it's amazing but don't get it in your eyes ! Lebanon is an incredible country with lovely people.
It is such a valuable thing; this tradition should continue.
I have bought this kind of traditional olive soap from the middle east many times! its good for the skin.
What a nice documentary. Simple and beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
I make my own soap since 2016. Best soap so far is 100% Olive oil soap, 40 % Laurel Oil + 60% Olive Oil soap, 90% Olive Oil soap + 10% Mastix... This last one is best soap ever! But it is also expensive
Thank you for filming about this business. I learned something new today!
Whenever I watch Still Standing videos of Insider Business, I always feel sad at the end to the point where whenever I wanted to feel somber, I watch these videos and feel sad... it's comforting somehow.
A soap cathedral! Beautiful.
And more useful than cultist ones.
I hope someone watching can machine the part they need for the pump
Kinda hard without knowing what parts are needed and to what specs
@@jascrandom9855 that could be obtained. They can be reched through social media
plenty of people can in their country
All forced converted country of modern times Lebanon....
The dedication of this guy to keep it running is way above anything....hatsoff and hopefully it regains the popularity of tourist and demand.
Yey Lebanon finaly is in insider business 🎉
Real soap won't dry your skin or make you itchy or give you dandruff like commercial soap will.
The BEST soap ever. Identical to Castile soap which is recommended for allergies and as a face and body soap, to wash laundry AND for general cleaning 💚
Look at that beautiful piece of byproduct. Only with the 3 organic ingredients, traditional method and the generous sized blocks of soap looks simple yet sophisticated.
As an Iraqi, this type of soap is a staple - we refer to it as 'Saboon Ragi', Ragi actually coming from the word Raqqa, meaning Aleppo. Best soap, stil use it today everytime I go back home I pick up a batch!
I think i saw an older video of the same factory a few years ago... Im still amazed by what they do and how they do it.
Your videos rock i love education! You guys make it fun and interesting
This is wonderful soap!! I store up when I go there.
“It’s ready when it’s hard enough”… great work 😂
I'm a soap maker, but use molds. Castille (Olive oil soap) has been one soap I continue to have problems with, because it so soft. I would love to visit their factory.
I personally, as a young person, would love to learn about the ways of making soap the traditional way. I personally don't like how much the world revolves around technology now, and that having a tech job is the only acceptable/praise-able job. If i ever get the chance to visit these countries, I would love to buy some soap bars!
Yesss the best soap! There's also a beautiful old factory like this one in Saida, Lebanon.
mama tachibana thinks diz is awesomazing and has included it on her 'places to visit' list. she totally loves soap as well. thank you fo all your hard work.
💗💖💘💞💝💟❣️
Amazing! I definitely want to buy some of these! Also, I love Lebanon! Such an amazing people, culture, country! ❤👍🏽
Shame the conflicts are getting in the way of this traditional business... the tourism would help fund the maintenance of the pumps needed... you could imagine it smells wonderful inside these beautiful buildings... amazing work from all the family 😉👍🏻
I have a friend from Lebanon,I will ask her to bring one for me…this is business should not go down at any cost
Shaving the soap looks really satisfying!
I love the determination and the commitment❤️❤️
personally a bar of soap lasts me a long time vs a liquid soap with the same price point.
We all proud of you..فخورون بكم جدا
I've brought this kind of soap before and it is worth it
omg thank you for coming to Lebanon :)
Amazing to see this. Please ask them to market online and reach consumer in other countries to boost their sales.
Thanks for making this wonderful video. I will visit the factory the next time I visit Tripoli. Regards, Accra, Ghana 🇬🇭
There's something magical about this process, especially when its made in such a beautiful building
These bars are miraculous I recommend them
I've been making my own vegetarian soaps for years, its a great creative activity and the results are always better than any mass produced product IMHO.
Hope they get that pump repaired soon! The soap looks incredible
Simply amazing.
Props for keeping the business going.
I saw documentaries about these soaps ,it looks all nice but working in there is a nightmare not matter how big the company is ,they have high expectations of course and they pay you peanuts ,that's why these traditions won't survive .
Amazing job, without keeping track of our traditions we will end up without a history
Lebanon is truly a beautiful country❤❤❤🇱🇧🇱🇧🇱🇧
Long may this traditional art & business survive!
Very cool. I hope they can get a new part of the machine somehow, so they won't have to carry the heavy buckets around, and speed up the process.
They must continue the Olive Oil Bars.
Do they sell this soap in Turkey and where?
I would like to buy!
I just googled them and you can buy online. They're called Masbanat Awaida
@@memphis8766 Thank you! is this the shop from the video?
Because I checked the olive soap for example, it is not that green on pictures.
in Turkey their version is Dalan antique
@@memphis8766The one on the website doesn’t look like these in the video 🤦♀️
Do they take volunteers? Can I come and fill up a suitcase to bring home? Love this soap.
Wow. I almost want to go work there.... These guys seem so dedicated to their professions! We need more of this nowadays.