About us

From neighbors to friends to business partners, Kara and Julie founded Wild Rye Soapery during the COVID quarantine of 2020.

We took the idea of having a "bubble" quite literally and joined forces to make handmade, artisan soap!

And how we love making handmade soap. Julie is the science nerd and enjoys the chemical side of soapmaking - learning how to tweak a recipe just so to make it skin-loving and luxurious. Kara has the design flair and comes up with our soap colors, designs and fragrances. She is a mica-matching whiz. We both have husbands, kids, all kinds of pets (including a bird and a Shetland pony). Life is busy but we've found that we love the creative process of making soap and selling it to customers who appreciate quality ingredients, yummy scents and beautiful designs. 

We are located in the high desert of Bend, Oregon in the shadow of the Cascade Mountains. It's truly the perfect location to make artisan soap - the dry climate makes curing the bars a breeze! Not to mention, we find inspiration everywhere in nature here. 

Showers don't have to be boring. At Wild Rye, we think every shower should be a luxurious experience that you look forward to. Our soaps are created to be cleansing, yet moisturizing and absolutely delightful to use in the shower and bath. Trust us, your skin will thank you!

Photo credit: Julia Duke Photo