That Red House

The birth of TRH was not exactly a fairytale... Like many birth stories, it was full of pain and tears. In 2002 and then again in 2006, my husband Luke was diagnosed with cancer. The second time was when I was 35 weeks pregnant with our first child... it was not a great time for us at all. But we came out the other side stronger, and it was the catalyst for the eventual launch of our business 6 years later.

With the health crisis hopefully behind us...we made the decision to change our lives, and become mainstream hippies. We sold our house in the leafy eastern suburbs and embarked on a journey of sustainability and clean living. We built an eco house, and a pretty sizeable organic garden in the Adelaide hills. Chooks, fruit and nut trees, and produce galore... it was perfect!

But when I tried to find a chemical free solution for our laundry, it was like nipples on a man... pointless. We wanted to pump the grey water from the washing machine out onto the veggies, but every so called 'eco detergent' had a list of hidden ingredients and none were truly suitable. We would be ultimately ingesting the residue indirectly. We had switched to a completely chemical free life, but with 4 kids (yep we went into a post-cancer breeding frenzy) I needed a detergent that actually worked well and ticked the organic box. Insert Soapberries. Theses soapy little balls of goodness changed my life.

I discovered them, loved them and in 2013 decided that the world needed to learn about my 'dirty-clean' little secret too. I imported around 600kgs, and very quickly sold out. It was clear that people were ready to embrace the idea of a completely natural way to clean their clothes, and were becoming wise to the chemicals used in mainstream detergents and cleaning products.

We know you will love these little bad boys just as much as the rest of the world does! Give them a go and you will never again use a chemical detergent!