Our Team
How We Started
During several mission trips that included Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Uganda, Clare witnessed the desperate need for basic health necessities. Without a medical or public health degree, Clare felt defeated in her ability to pursue her passion and heart for international and global health. The idea behind b.a.r.e. soaps didn't arise until August 2012. While on a nine hour drive, Clare brainstormed an idea to make her own soap and use proceeds to donate/invest in developing communities that lacked basic sanitation.
Excited, Clare came back to the US to pitch Jessie her idea. Jessie hopped on board immediately. Upon further research, the pair realized that there was a problem at home. The "soap" we typically buy from our local grocer or drugstore isn't really soap. In actuality, it's made with synthetic and artificial compounds. And thus, a three-fold vision was born -
1. To provide an all-natural product for those at home that is safe and worry-free to use
2. To create a sustainable cash flow vehicle to fund non-profit initiatives
3. To educate consumers on sustainability challenges, specifically on the trade-offs inherent in every decision made around sustainability
ABOUT THE "TEAM"
b.a.r.e. soaps today is a single-woman run business by Jessie, one of the two co-founders. This is Jessie's "passion project", a part time initiative that allows her to raise awareness and educate on sustainability issues important to her, while giving the remaining profits to non-profit causes she believes in. Jessie has a full-time job which allows her to operate b.a.r.e. soaps without needing to a salary. Our other co-founder, Clare, is a non-profit advisor who accompanies Jessie on trips to visit the non-profit initiatives we support in India and Uganda.
Because this is a "team of one", we are by definition not diverse. From time to time, we do hire contractors to help with graphic design, packaging, and marketing, and this is where we can strive to be more diverse. Here is specifically what we plan to do moving forward as of July 2019.
❤️ We have historically prioritized women owned small businesses when sourcing supplies and ingredients. We can and will do better by sourcing from suppliers who are genuinely trying to build a diverse staff and are trying to do good for the environment. This is probably the toughest one of us because it's already hard enough to find suppliers who are willing to sacrifice profit for sustainable practices.
❤️ We have historically prioritized young women at the start of their careers for small graphic design projects related to packaging. It's win-win because we can help promote their work and they have rates within our range. We can and will do better by hiring a diverse range of freelancers for small projects, including young black ladies. We always want the artist to design in her personal style so this will also be a great way to promote a diversity of artistic designs.
MEET THE "TEAM"
Jessie | Co-Founder & CEO
In her spare time, Jessie co-hosts the What Eric Made podcast, which features discussions around culinary technique and a wide variety of ingredients (both home-grown and purchased). Her newest topic of obsession? Soil health. She loves Crossfit and is often seen either listening to podcasts or reading on her Kindle. Jessie graduated from the Stern School of Business at New York University with a BS degree in Economics and Finance.
Clare | Non-Profit Advisor & Co-Founder
Clare is the visionary behind b.a.r.e. soaps's socially conscious business model. Her involvement has ranged from creating soap flavors to managing b.a.r.e.'s partnership with Children's Hopechest of Kaberamaido, Uganda. Today, Clare advises b.a.r.e. soaps on its non-profit vision.
Clare enjoys long-distance runs, random acts of kindness, and digging into God’s word. Clare graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA degree in Biological Basis of Behavior. In 2015, she left b.a.r.e. soaps to pursue an MBA from Rutgers University.