Meet The Family That Bring You Kirk’s Soaps
We’re Katherine & Molly Oliver, two sisters turned CEO-moms. It’s nice to meet you! As a family in the soap making business, guiding a company that’s been in operation since 1839, we understand the responsibility behind our tag line — simple clean for generations®. We have a history to uphold. And we’re proud to carry on the legacy we learned from our own Dad!
Here are a few things that are super important to us:
- We create high quality natural products for your family and ours
- We believe good products don’t need to be complicated
- We use only clean and safe ingredients that are sourced and derived from nature
- We find joy in good, messy fun followed by bliss of post Kirk’s shower-time wrapped up in a cozy bath towel
For your history buffs:
1839
James S Kirk & Company is founded in Utica, NY. Our founder, James S Kirk, started with a simple philosophy: Everyone deserves access to natural cleansers. It’s as true today as it was nearly two centuries ago.
1859
Kirk’s relocates from Utica, New York to Chicago. The plant was located on North Water Street, now an area of exclusive residential development.
1929
Kirk’s is purchased by Procter & Gamble, and the company’s five-story building on North Water Street was demolished. But there were bigger things on the horizon.
1989
Kirk's celebrates 150 years of soap making. The Company’s simple, functional cleansing products appealed to more and more folks like yourself, and new packaging celebrated our growth.
2005
Kirk’s takes on a more descriptive name -- Kirk’s Natural – and the company relocates to Erlanger, Kentucky, just across the river from Cincinnati.
2011
Molly & Katherine Oliver return home to work the family business alongside their father, Rich Oliver. Their dream was to proudly carry on the family’s soap-making traditions and continue the Kirk's legacy.
2013
Kirk’s celebrated over 175 uninterrupted years in business. With the success of the Kirk's Original Coco Castile Fragrance Free Bar, Kirk's Natural debuts their new light blue wrapper to help distinguish it from the original bar.
2015
Kirk's Natural made the important decision to offer full disclosure of ingredients in Kirk's Natural Castile Soaps, recognizing that consumers want to know what’s in their cleaning products, and that transparency is an important promise of the brand.
2017
Kirk’s Natural is proud to announce that all of their 100% Premium Coconut Oil Castile Bar Soaps are Non-GMO Project Verified. If you’d like to learn more about the Non-GMO Project, visit their website at: nongmoproject.org
2018
Kirk’s debuts an appealing new look for their original Castile, all-vegetable-based soap, and launches two exciting new products: 3-in-1 Head to Toe Nourishing Cleanser and Odor Neutralizing Hand Wash which eliminates stubborn kitchen odors like fish and garlic. As with our bar soap, our new products are still made in America and always safe for the whole family.
2019
Kirk’s becomes Woman Owned certified by the WBENC, an important designation in the progression of the company.
2020
Kirk’s supported cleanliness and sanitation during the pandemic, donating 20,000 bars of soap to Matthew Ministries, affirming our commitment to the communities in which we live and work.
Giving Back
As a company with a history of more than 185 years, we understand that it takes teamwork to accomplish the most important tasks. No one does it alone. This is especially true when it comes to community support. Kirk’s Soap actively encourages our employees to get involved in service to the community, and make a difference. We’re also proud to support charities on a local and national level through in-kind donations.
