Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cathy Gomes. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Cathy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

My name is Cathy and I am the founder and CEO of 700 Rivers. My family immigrated from Bangladesh to the USA right before I was born and I definitely grew up as a product of two cultures. When I was in college, I learned Bangladesh is a top country for human trafficking. In Bangladesh, thousands of women are stuck in human trafficking and remain stuck because they do not have an education or job skills to fall back on to financially support themselves. As a woman of Bangladeshi descent, this felt very personal to me. At the time, it seemed like such a large, multi-faceted issue that I wanted to help fight but it just seemed too big to tackle. It also seemed to have nothing to do with chemical engineering which I was studying so I had no idea how I would even approach the issue. Nonetheless, this fact never left my mind, even as I graduated college and “entered the real world”.

As I did more research on the subject, I realized the best way to fight human trafficking and poverty is through meaningful jobs and employment. The more passionate I became about this, I realized I could use my background to help create jobs. This inspired the creation of 700 Rivers.

700 Rivers works with Bangladeshi women who have escaped human trafficking and helps them get access to mental health counseling and employs our artisans to make all natural soaps. We offer our artisans a fresh start in life and employ them with fair, living wages, a safe work environment, and dignified work for the first time in their lives. 700 Rivers’ hand-crafted soap also celebrates the rich and diverse ingredients local to South Asia that tell the beautiful story of Bangladesh such as clove, cinnamon, orange, turmeric, lemon and lavender.

Cathy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My background is in chemical engineering, but my passion has always been in social impact and women’s empowerment. I am also a proud daughter of Bangladeshi immigrants. While I love my culture, I also recognize that women in Bangladesh are still facing barriers to economic and social equality which can lead to women being trapped in vulnerable situations. I learned about trafficking in college and was determined to create a solution to empowering women. As I researched potential solutions, I learned one of the best ways to combat trafficking is through meaningful jobs and fair employment. I considered my own skill sets and decided to use my chemistry background to create a high-quality, natural personal care product line. We created all-natural soaps with skin-friendly and eco-friendly ingredients that met the daily needs of our customers. And thus, 700 Rivers was born.

700 Rivers products are inspired by South Asian ingredients that share the beauty and richness of Bangladesh while smelling great and providing skin benefits. 700 Rivers’ hand-crafted soaps and bath products are infused with natural and local ingredients that tell the important story and rich traditions of Bangladesh, such as clove, cinnamon, orange, turmeric, lemon, lavender and rose. These ingredients can be found abundantly in Bangladesh and South Asia and we love sharing them with the world.

All of our soaps are made with a coconut oil base which lathers beautifully to gently cleanse, naturally hydrate, and soften skin. We also use 100% essential oils to naturally scent the soaps without any fragrance or synthetic oils.

We have also incorporated ingredients used in traditional beauty and skincare rituals passed down from generation to generation. For example, our Orange Turmeric soap bar provides calming aromatherapy benefits with the use of orange essential oils, balances and cleanses your skin, and refreshes your mind. Turmeric has also been used in South Asian foods and skincare for centuries. This incredible root is known to have antibacterial properties which can help disinfect and heal the skin. Turmeric also has anti-inflammatory properties which can help reduce redness or irritation on the body.

Since our origin, we have also expanded our product line to include all-natural bath bombs and now 100% soy wax candles. You’ll find ingredients rooted in South Asian tradition in any 700 Rivers product.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

We’ve absolutely had to pivot in business! We actually started 700 Rivers as a fashion company because a lot of Bangladeshi women are taught to sew, so I thought it would be easier to start a business if the artisans already had the skills. We also focused on sustainability and used 100% natural materials and recycled fabrics to create our clothing line. However, after one year of running a fashion business, I did not like seeing how much waste went into creating a fashion brand. I re-evaluated my business and re-assessed if we were meeting our goals of being an ethical, women-empowering, and sustainable brand that was creating products to benefit our customers.

I ultimately decided to pivot our product line because I felt that we could do a better job of meeting our sustainability values and meeting our customers’ needs. I also considered my own skill sets and decided to use my chemistry background to create a high-quality, natural personal care product line. We created soaps and bath bombs with skin-friendly and eco-friendly ingredients that met the daily needs of our customers. This product change also allowed us to redesign our packaging to have little to no waste including our 100% biodegradable soap packaging made from vegetable fibers. With this pivot, we were able to truly commit to our values of creating amazing products for our customers that are ethically made, women-empowering, and sustainable.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

So much of entrepreneurship is focused on meeting every challenge and not giving up when things get tough. We launched our soap line in Dec 2019 only to be met with a global pandemic months after our launch. During the global shutdown, we had to quickly adapt to our artisans in Bangladesh staying at home to remain safe. During this time, we temporarily pivoted to employing our artisans to sew fabric face masks from home. We also donated many of the face masks made during this time to a local orphanage in Bangladesh that housed 400 children so they could receive some protection from the global pandemic as well.

We also had to shut down due to pandemic waves between 2020-2021, not just once but twice for six months at a time. In our first two years of business, we were only actually able to operate for about one year! I knew I couldn’t let my business fail, so we got creative during this time and opened up new product lines. During our second pandemic shutdown, while our artisans made fabric face masks from home, our team in Raleigh began handcrafting bath bombs. This not only helped us survive but actually expand our business!

Launching this business has definitely taught me to get comfortable with being uncomfortable and to constantly thing of creative ways to keep the business growth. Resiliency is a key trait of entrepreneurship and as a business owner, I’m noticing myself get better at it each year. My advice to all new entrepreneurs is to keep an open and creative mind when brainstorming solutions and to practice getting up whenever the world knock you down. You’ll get stronger and better with experience!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sevenhundredrivers.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/700rivers
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The700Rivers

Image Credits
Amy Paulson Photography (for photo of Cathy holding the soap) Putt Photography (for all photos of soaps and bath bombs)