Soap with a wild sense of humour
BY SCOTT HADDOW
Wild Northerner staff
Mercedes Byrnes admits she can be vulgar. Her boyfriend, Dave Dotta, also freely confesses he owns a foul mouth.
They are both using it and going with it to run their own business, Wolf & Pine Soap Co.
The business officially launched in August after a hype period of a few months on social media. Byrnes and Dotta launched with a deliberately raunchy and humorous theme on their beauty products.
“I was resistant at first, but Dave was adamant about it so we embraced our vulgar side,” Byrnes said. “I’m from Chelmsford. I swear a lot and we both can be abrasive. I have a bit more of a fiery temper, so the vulgarity tends to come out more when I’m angry. Dave is the king of puns and sexual innuendos. It has worked well so far. It’s helped us grow fast.”
There are 24 products in the Wolf and Pine line-up and each one is made in Lively, where Byrnes and Dotta live. The products are 100 percent vegan and cruelty free and certified organic. Ingredients are sourced from Canada and the United States. There is soap, beard oil, skin oil, clay masks, dry shampoo, hair elixir, tooth polish and powder along with white sage smudge bundles and incense sticks.
The products are made by Byrnes in a shop that Dotta built in the backyard where the two live.
Wolf and Pine products come packaged in recycled and recyclable materials.
What has people talking about the products besides how well they work are the slogans Byrnes and Dotta use. They don’t mind pushing the boundaries of what is considered good taste and relish showing a naughty and funny side.
The soaps are labeled ‘FOR FILTHY F*CKS’ and have amusing names such as Day Drunk, Rock Hard and Chill, Bruh. They have face bars with catchy names such as Oates and Hoes and Tickled Pink. There are clay masks with names such as In The Pink and Artichoke Me Daddy.
“It’s clean conscious with a dirty mind,” laughed Byrnes.
Both Byrnes and Dotta laugh, at times uncontrollably, at some of their product names and descriptions, which can get quite cheeky. It’s all in good fun. It is not meant to harm anyone in anyway. The pair don’t mind if their approach to the market is a bit offensive to some. They are having fun doing it.
“I thought it was a great way to break away from the heard and stand out,” Dotta said. “It is meant to be funny. There are no put downs of people. We try and make double entendres. We knew it wouldn’t be for everyone. It’s tongue in cheek. The humour caught on quickly for us and we built a lot of hype because of it. We play with the line and it’s done well. It allowed us to make a splash and with that, people gave us a shot.”
Byrnes, 25, is a registered nurse. Dotta, 28, works in the construction trade. Byrnes became vegan five years ago and also made her own beauty products for personal use for years from ingredients she sourced herself by foraging in the bush. Byrnes was also done with mass production beauty products which were not good for the environment, animals and people in general. She decided to make her own and to produce products for others.
“I have a big interest in natural living,” Byrnes said. “I’ve created more than 50 recipes of stuff I want to make so far. It is nice to do this. I am an artistic person and I’ve always liked things that have a purpose. I like that I can make something useful, good for you and the planet and bring an element of joy to people.”
Byrnes does a lot of the crafting of soaps, oils and other products. Dotta is more behind the scenes as he builds soap molds and displays and does deliveries. Soap is the most labour-intensive product. It requires a lot of mixing, and then must sit in a mold for 12 hours after being poured. The soap then dehydrates on a shelf for four weeks so it can create the ultimate lather.
The products have been gobbled up by customers. Byrnes is taking calls each day from potential suppliers looking to stock the off-beat brand of beauty products.
“I’ve already had calls from stores across Canada and the United States looking to sell our stuff,” Byrnes said. “It’s been non-stop. It seems to be quite promising.”
The pair are keeping their options wide open in regards to future endeavours of Wolf and Pine.
“We just want it to grow organically and we will see what happens,” Dotta said.
Products, and more information about them, can be found on the online store at wolfandpine.co
HEADLINE: Soap with a wild sense of humour
BY SCOTT HADDOW
Wild Northerner staff
Mercedes Byrnes admits she can be vulgar. Her boyfriend, Dave Dotta, also freely confesses he owns a foul mouth.
They are both using it and going with it to run their own business, Wolf & Pine Soap Co.
The business officially launched in August after a hype period of a few months on social media. Byrnes and Dotta launched with a deliberately raunchy and humorous theme on their beauty products.
“I was resistant at first, but Dave was adamant about it so we embraced our vulgar side,” Byrnes said. “I’m from Chelmsford. I swear a lot and we both can be abrasive. I have a bit more of a fiery temper, so the vulgarity tends to come out more when I’m angry. Dave is the king of puns and sexual innuendos. It has worked well so far. It’s helped us grow fast.”
There are 24 products in the Wolf and Pine line-up and each one is made in Lively, where Byrnes and Dotta live. The products are 100 percent vegan and cruelty free and certified organic. Ingredients are sourced from Canada and the United States. There is soap, beard oil, skin oil, clay masks, dry shampoo, hair elixir, tooth polish and powder along with white sage smudge bundles and incense sticks.
The products are made by Byrnes in a shop that Dotta built in the backyard where the two live.
Wolf and Pine products come packaged in recycled and recyclable materials.
What has people talking about the products besides how well they work are the slogans Byrnes and Dotta use. They don’t mind pushing the boundaries of what is considered good taste and relish showing a naughty and funny side.
The soaps are labeled ‘FOR FILTHY F*CKS’ and have amusing names such as Day Drunk, Rock Hard and Chill, Bruh. They have face bars with catchy names such as Oates and Hoes and Tickled Pink. There are clay masks with names such as In The Pink and Artichoke Me Daddy.
“It’s clean conscious with a dirty mind,” laughed Byrnes.
Both Byrnes and Dotta laugh, at times uncontrollably, at some of their product names and descriptions, which can get quite cheeky. It’s all in good fun. It is not meant to harm anyone in anyway. The pair don’t mind if their approach to the market is a bit offensive to some. They are having fun doing it.
“I thought it was a great way to break away from the heard and stand out,” Dotta said. “It is meant to be funny. There are no put downs of people. We try and make double entendres. We knew it wouldn’t be for everyone. It’s tongue in cheek. The humour caught on quickly for us and we built a lot of hype because of it. We play with the line and it’s done well. It allowed us to make a splash and with that, people gave us a shot.”
Byrnes, 25, is a registered nurse. Dotta, 28, works in the construction trade. Byrnes became vegan five years ago and also made her own beauty products for personal use for years from ingredients she sourced herself by foraging in the bush. Byrnes was also done with mass production beauty products which were not good for the environment, animals and people in general. She decided to make her own and to produce products for others.
“I have a big interest in natural living,” Byrnes said. “I’ve created more than 50 recipes of stuff I want to make so far. It is nice to do this. I am an artistic person and I’ve always liked things that have a purpose. I like that I can make something useful, good for you and the planet and bring an element of joy to people.”
Byrnes does a lot of the crafting of soaps, oils and other products. Dotta is more behind the scenes as he builds soap molds and displays and does deliveries. Soap is the most labour-intensive product. It requires a lot of mixing, and then must sit in a mold for 12 hours after being poured. The soap then dehydrates on a shelf for four weeks so it can create the ultimate lather.
The products have been gobbled up by customers. Byrnes is taking calls each day from potential suppliers looking to stock the off-beat brand of beauty products.
“I’ve already had calls from stores across Canada and the United States looking to sell our stuff,” Byrnes said. “It’s been non-stop. It seems to be quite promising.”
The pair are keeping their options wide open in regards to future endeavours of Wolf and Pine.
“We just want it to grow organically and we will see what happens,” Dotta said.
Products, and more information about them, can be found on the online store at wolfandpine.co