We recently connected with Kimberly Waldropt and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kimberly thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

My story starts with my diet and the relation it has to my skin and overall health. There’s been a ton of unlearning I’ve had to do and finding a community that strives to seek truth.

When I left the fashion industry, as a technical designer, back in 2016, I left behind a slew of bad eating and sleeping habits. This left me drained, stressed out, overweight, low energy, with bad skin/acne and random eczema breakouts that I found products on the market made worse. This was all a result of being severely overworked, and underpaid as a WOC working in a white-male-dominated industry.

I was able to stay in my home, on Long Island, and heal myself.

My unemployment allowed me the time to was able to reconnect with nature and reflect on the foods I ate, and the products I used on my skin. I started eating cleaner, cooking at home, gardening, and using fresh herbs from my backyard. I reconnected with my Caribbean ancestors and the foods that fed them. I then adopted a plant-based diet.

With all this time on my hands, I wanted to address my skin and body care needs. I wanted to use a sustainable and clean product that wouldn’t irritate the stubborn dermatitis breakouts that would show up now and then. I couldn’t find a product that didn’t contain coconut or palm oil. It’s an ingredient that’s used in just about 98% of skincare goods in the world.

I tried everything from commercial soap, syndets, body washes, shower gels, handmade (from various artisans), organic, from people’s kitchens, and from their farms.

When I was a child, my mother taught me soap making. I learned everything I needed to know to make a great bar of soap from her. With that knowledge, I realized one thing about all these skincare companies and soap brands (big and small), they all use coconut oil!

Tired of spending my limited funds on soaps and lotions that didn’t work, but made the problem worse, I decided to formulate my products. Soap making with my skill that I put to the test. I omitted coconut oil from the formulation. This process wasn’t easy. It was about a year of testing and reformulating until I got something that was moisturizing my dry skin (in the shower) rather than drying it out.

Then Terra-Tory was born.

Kimberly , 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 mother was a soap and candle maker. She had her own business back in the late 90’s. I remember the house always smelling so wonderful. patchouli, lavender, cinnamon. She had a ridiculous collection of essential oils. I went to trade shows with her and we’d be up late the night before packing so much soap, bath salts, tying ribbons on candles, packing gift baskets for the upcoming shows. We alway did things by hand. We were very crafty girls. As a single mother it was her side hustle to keep the bills paid. To me it was a way to bond with my mom. She was my best friend and still is. She’s taught me everything I know about soap making.

When people ask “What’s up with coconut oil?” it’s our responsibility to explain the science behind soapmaking and the role ingredients play in organic soap. 
Coconut oil in its “purest form” is a great fatty moisturizer. It isn’t “bad”, it’s just overused in many body cleansing products on the market. However, once it’s been made into a “salt” byproduct (aka soap), it possesses very strong cleansing properties. Over time, using products like these can damage the protective barrier of the skin, making you feel dry, itchy, irritated, and prone to infection.

terra-tory is a bespoke personal care and toiletry brand. we offer a coconut oil-free soap alternative for people with dry sensitive skin, like myself. there’s a demand for skincare products that don’t use coconut oil due to allergies and skin sensitivities. we provide an assortment of coconut oil-free artisan soaps and natural body care products that are conditioned to the skin. we have testimony and social proof from hundreds of customers who swear by our products.

I’m proud of how much we’ve grown without paid advertising. I’m proud of our team, we’ve been able to meet the demands of retailers such as Nordstrom and Free People. I’m proud of the contributions we made to organizations such as Roe vs Wade. I’m proud of the amount of people we’ve helped with solving their dry skin and creating a product that stands true to the claims and mission. I’m mostly proud that I’m able to live my truth through the brand and share my personal story along the way.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

Email Marketing is and will always be king. But it will always boil down to consistency and understanding your community. People buy from people. The more they know who you are, the more trust you build. This will be the difference between a first-time buyer and a repeat buyer.

When I meet people, I ask them how they found out about the brand. Some say social media, and word of mouth, but the most surprising response is they found the brand through me. My presence must be felt, that’s where I noticed sales growth.

Telling your story and getting people familiar with who you are, and your philosophy, allowing people to see your face, know what’s on your mind, is important. That’s how you engage.

Now I don’t always practice being on social media. I like long-form content (e.i. writing, and video) for my community. It’s what I enjoy doing so I’m able to stay consistent. It’s therapeutic for me.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

People want to connect with other people. People want to know your deepest thoughts. They want to watch you cook, and get ready, in other words, “people watch”. People love a good story. They want to feel what you feel. People want an experience. People want to see you.

Whether it’s positively or negatively. You have to be okay with being judged. You just have to do it yourself. Just consistently.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.terra-tory.com
• Instagram: @terra_tory and @waldropt_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terratoryskincare
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-k-waldropt-1585737b/
• Twitter: @terratory1
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@terra_tory

Image Credits
CATHERINE UHLRICH for film photos