Five generations. One recipe.
Five generations of craft.
Around one hundred and forty years ago, Masbanat Awaida was founded by Mr. Hussein Awaida, an insightful man who came from one of the most prestigious families of Lebanon. As a landlord of many olive-tree plantations and a great believer in industry as one of the most important pillars of the economy, Mr. Awaida decided to establish what might be the first hand-made olive oil-based soap factory in Lebanon. Generation after generation, the Awaida family members took care of this precious trade and developed it to become one of the most refined, sophisticated, and – most importantly – natural forms of today’s artistic industries. We are grateful to share our heritage and craft with you. Each bar represents the culmination of generations devoted to this trade – refined over time, preserved with intention, and carried forward with the same principles that first defined our work.
The process, unchanged since 1880.
Each batch is slowly blended by hand over low heat for up to three days, allowing the soap to form gradually and evenly.
The finished soap is poured onto stone floors where it naturally sets as temperature and moisture are regulated by the environment.
Large slabs are cut into bars using a multi-blade rake cutter operated by a team to maintain even pressure.
Bars are stacked in open-air curing rooms where they slowly lose moisture over several weeks, hardening without chemical accelerants.
Each bar is stamped by hand using engraved tools and a mallet, marking it with the maker's seal and batch origin.
Each bar is inspected, trimmed, and smoothed before packaging. Only properly cured bars are wrapped and shipped.