College Trip to Peru Sparks World-Changing Nebraska Soap Business

Six years ago, Andrew Vrbas was a budget-strapped college student making soap in his college apartment. He had an idea for a business that would help change the lives of people around the world.

After just five years in business, his Pacha Soap Co™ enterprise is already doing that.

The business that he and his wife, Abi, started in Hastings in 2013 has donated 3.4 million bars of soap to people in developing countries, has created 256 jobs in Nebraska and around the world, has provided 74,078 children with hand-washing education and has created wells to provide 4,000 people with clean water. And in 2017, Whole Foods honored Pacha Soap with its 2017 Supplier of the Year award.

It all started with Andrew’s 2010 trip to Peru.

“As a junior in college, I didn’t know that a trip to volunteer for others would ignite a life change in me,” Andrew said. “My trip took me to Peru, South America, to volunteer at a local school and then later on, a local construction crew. There, I witnessed basic needs not being met, many of the things that our society takes for granted.”

An idea sparked in Andrew’s mind: what if he could help the Peruvians by starting his own for-profit business back in the United States?

After some research, he decided to create organic handcrafted soap under the name Pacha Soap. All of the ingredients to make soap can be found near the equator, which is where the people lived that he wanted to help.

When starting his business, Andrew sought membership and advice from GROW Nebraska. Thanks to the organization’s special low membership rate for college students, Andrew was able to test the viability of his Pacha soap at GROW Nebraska retailstores. Andrew and Abi also gleaned advice from other GROW Nebraska members and from the organization’s educational trainings and workshops.

The social entrepreneurs set up their company so that a portion of profits from each bar of soap is directed toward helping locals develop regenerative, self-sustaining business and occupational training, such as soap making, well drilling and hygiene education. Its mission is to “empower people in developing nations with sustainable ventures, creating healthier communities by disrupting the cycle of poverty.”

As Pacha Soap grew, so did the opportunity to create global change. They established a soap production shop in Burundi, Africa, in 2014. At the same time, they started building operations and adding employees in the Hastings headquarters. They started selling products at Whole Foods Market, and in 2016, the company launched an exclusive product called Froth Bombs™ with Whole Foods. This new product allowed Pacha to train and help people in developing nationals drill clean water wells.

Today, Pacha Soap employs more than 50 people in Nebraska and has empowered locals in Burundi and Kenya, Africa, to start their own soap enterprises. And, the company is currently in the process of assisting locals in Peru and the Congo to do the same.

And Pacha Soap’s work is just beginning. This summer, the company is releasing several new products: salt blocks, two new limited edition froth bombs (Bubbles the Whale and Twinkle Toes), three new limited edition soap blends (Dead Sea Clay, Coconut Lemon and Watermelon Peppermint) and is releasing a new product, Extra Scrubby Whipped Soap.

Purchase Pacha Soap products and help change the world on GROW Nebraska ecommerce site, Buy Nebraska and at the GROW Nebraska retail store in Kearney.