Where the Wild things are

There’s basically goats on everything; there’s always a goat saying something funny or something on our bars of soap and whatnot. -senior Libby Torres

story by Mary Hilliard, photos by Lindsey Valdiviez

From outside the old brick factory building, you can already smell the fragrances.

You walk in and see shelves everywhere, piled high with boxes and merchandise. In the center, there is a long table where four people sit tying bows, joking and laughing. Several dogs come up to greet you, and you hear more barking from other parts of the factory. You listen to the loud seventies music in this room, but catch some of the heavy metal blaring from the soap-making department across the building. Walking through the aisles you feel the small bars and heavy bricks of soap, try out the lotion and sniff the candles. You feel the sense of community and overall good vibes.

Since 1996, beauty supplier Indigo Wild has been delivering a range of all-natural products, the most prominent being the Zum Bar, a bar of soap made with goat’s milk, essential oils, soy wax and other, to use the company’s word, “jujulicious” ingredients. The Zum Bar, along with other products such as Zum Kiss lip balm and Zum Rub lotion, has been featured in many magazines and is carried in stores nationwide.

How did this organic soap company from Kansas City expand on a nationwide scale?

Indigo Wild started when founder Emily Voth quit her corporate job to make soap. Voth’s business grew from the stand at a farmer’s market to a business with a store and product plant.

“When Indigo Wild bought [it’s current building, the place] had been empty for years and was decrepit and covered in graffiti,” social media director Annie Kremers said. “We rehabbed the building from top to bottom and gave it new life.”

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According to Kremers, Voth likes to work hard and have fun. Her energy trickles down into employees’ mindsets.

“[Voth] always makes sure that there’s music playing and that everyone’s having a good time,” employee and STA senior Libby Torres said. “I think she realized the secret to a good business is making your employees happy too.”

Almost two years ago, Torres started working at the Indigo Wild factory. According to Torres, she mostly labels soap and packages orders. She “loves” her job and said that something funny or weird always seems to happen when she’s working .

“A customer called in and asked if our Dragon’s Blood soap had actual blood in it,” Torres said. “‘Dragon’s blood’ is just a fancy name for a tree resin that’s very moisturizing and nourishing for dry skin…the person who called in seemed convinced that we killed dragons and used their blood for soap, which is just wrong on so many levels.”

According to Torres, it is Indigo Wild’s environment and the people that make the company unique.

“Everyone’s really cool and fun-loving but also dedicated to working hard and getting our product out there,” Torres said. “It’s just a really positive workplace environment.”

According to Kremers, Indigo Wild is different from other companies because the employees eat lunch together every day. The diverse workers make for interesting conversation and “everyone is nice to everyone.”

“It’s impossible to have a bad day here,” Kremers said.