Dr. Bronner’s is a family
business committed to honouring
the vision of its founder, Dr.
Emanuel Bronner by making
socially and environmentally
responsible products of
the highest quality, and by
dedicating profits to help make a
better world.
The brand is synonymous with Old World
quality and time-honoured 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.
Dr. Bronner’s 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 grass-roots
activism. 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.
As Emanuel’s health began to fade in the
1990s his son, Jim took over as President
and it was during this time that the company
introduced 15% profit-sharing and zero-
deductible healthcare for all employees
and their families. A humble man, Jim was
renowned for extensive charitable giving,
as well as his inventions such as a foam
concentrate that is still used to fight fires
today. He also injected plenty of fun to the
Dr. Bronner’s brand, creating a “Magic Foam
Experience” with pure-castile soap which is
enjoyed by thousands of people every year
at community events for disadvantaged
youth, music festivals, mud runs and pride
parades, and is considered to be the perfect
embodiment of his inventive, loving and
joyful soul.
The 4th and 5th generations of the
Bronner family who now run the company
continue to make unsurpassed liquid and
bar soaps with care and integrity using
traditional methods. Over the years they
have introduced more products including
hand sanitiser, oral care, lotions, balms,
hair care and cleaning products. They also
pioneered 100% post-consumer recycled
plastic bottles and continue to keep close
tabs on innovations taking place in bio
plastics research. Dr. Bronner’s products
are currently sold in more than 25 countries
around the world.
As the company continues its mission
and commitment to building an engine for
promoting and advancing positive social
change, it is guided by six Cosmic Principles
that reflect areas of influence and impact
that it focuses on as a backdrop of its
production and operations:
1.
Word hard! Grow! – Do well so
you can do good! Learn, improve,
prosper! Success is the engine that
makes everything else possible.
2. Do right by customers – Make the
very best products for human,
home and Earth – no synthetics
or detergents – only the purest
organic, fair trade, cruelty-free and
biodegradable ingredients!
3. Treat employees like family – We
are all sisters and brothers! Be
kind, pay fairly, reward generously
6 Complete Health