Natural soap company with roots in the Adirondacks grows into national business
By Holly Riddle
In 1979, when she was 21, Sandy Maine launched a home-based, handmade, herbal soaps company, originally just for an income stream during the winter months, when she wasn’t offering Adirondack guiding services in Parishville. Over the years, Sunfeather Natural Soap Co. became nationally successful, demanding all of Maine’s time.
Meanwhile, Sandy’s heart urged her to refocus her efforts regionally, to the Adirondack Mountains that she had fallen in love with as a college student at SUNY Potsdam. When, in 2009, a company offered to buy Sunfeather, Sandy agreed and, in 2013, using her decades of experience, she founded Adirondack Fragrance Farm.
“I had probably 15 products all based on Adirondack scents and trees. I even used muskrat and beaver castor, which is our region’s musk, in some of my perfumes. It was so much fun and I loved it. I went to regional trade shows, not the big trade shows, and the business did great,” said Maine.
Sales began to drop during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sandy’s son Clark Maine, who was working in the clean energy industry in China, began helping Sandy adjust the business, alongside his wife, Yen Maine. Originally from Taiwan, Yen boasts a background in finance and at the time was working as a vice president at Citibank in Shanghai. With her son and daughter-in-law’s assistance, Maine’s fragrance business focused on online retail sales and expanding its brand recognition.
Read the full article in the Adirondack Explorer.