About Us
Welcome
We are so glad you decided to visit.
HBK came about a bit by accident, and, I know this may be hard for you to believe, but it’s true. I’d just given birth to my second baby in two years and found myself unable to travel to my homeland Trinidad where I would usually stock up on my sister’s handmade soap which I had used for years. Fortunately, she was coming to visit me that Christmas and I asked her to teach me how to make soap so that I wouldn’t find myself in that situation again. She gave me a list of ingredients and equipment to get and after hunting all over Barbados, my current home, I had all I needed.
A day into her visit I made my first soap. Two weeks after that I found that this was something I truly loved and enjoyed doing, and of course, I made more soap than I could ever use! My friends and family were my willing testers and I absorbed all the feedback and suggestions, all their likes and dislikes! I read books, watched every sensible video I could find online and I also took a class. And of course I continued to make and create!
At this point I had no more space to store my soaps and I decided to take a chance and sell what my testers assured me was a great product. I went to one of my favorite places, Brighton Farmers Market, set up shop and, it may be the familiarity of that beautiful place and the warm welcome received from the other vendors, but it felt like something I was meant to be doing my entire life! I enjoyed every moment and Handmade By Kae was a go!
Many people ask me why Handmade by Kae? Who is Kae? Are you Kae?
Choosing a name was an interesting process and in the end I think I made the right choice. Handmade by Kae (pronounced ‘K’) was intended to be a name the company could grow with… who knows where this love of making and crafting would take me! While Kae is not my name, as I have gone through this journey of creating, it has come to stand for a number of Ks that have made it a possibility. Beginning with me, Kristle, my mother, Karma, whose support is never ending, my aunt, Kathleen, whose style and taste influences so many elements of this brand and of course my sister, Kimberly, who not only taught me how to make soap and lotions, but works with me to ensure that HBK is a success. Of course I cannot talk about the support I receive without telling you about my husband Daryl, who I have dubbed an honorary K (shhh, don’t tell him)…I could not be doing all this without him!
All of these Ks have gone into Handmade By Kae and we are beyond excited to share all that we make with you! The journey continues and we hope you enjoy!