DIRTY KNEES SOAP

FOUNDERS: Jeff Olson and Ryan Swedlund

MISSION: At Dirty Knees Soap Co., our mission is to deliver exceptional customer service and offer unparalleled products crafted with a careful selection of premium ingredients. With a commitment to quality and your satisfaction, we aim to provide an uplifting and indulgent experience that leaves you feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to embrace the goodness of our natural products.

We started 2023 with plans to move back to Minnesota from San Diego, California, where we had lived since 2002, but fate had other plans. While we were visiting family in Jeff’s hometown of International Falls, Minnesota, we bought a bar of soap at a local shop. That soap was Minnesota Wood, made by Dirty Knees Soap Co. in Fosston, Minnesota. Upon returning home and trying the soap, we were hooked and ordered more products and, wanting to support a small business, would often buy their products as gifts for friends and family.

Then came a dreaded email from the owner, Heidi: she was winding down the brand to focus on other ventures. Upon the news, we placed our final order for 10 more bars of Minnesota Wood, the signature soap of Dirty Knees. We sat on the couch and Jeff presented a crazy idea, “What if we buy the company? I just feel the product is too good to just have it end.” In that moment we both sat in thought about what this would mean for our future. It was exciting. It was also scary, if not overwhelming, even though we had talked for years about owning a business together of some sort. But soap? Hadn’t crossed our minds. We were entertaining thoughts of moving back to Minnesota to settle into a simpler life after years of city living. A house with a barn and some goats, chickens, dogs and a garden. This is what propelled us to approach Heidi and offer to empty out our savings to pursue this company. Because we believed in the product, we believed in a way back to our roots in Minnesota. Running this company was a path to support that dream.

After meeting with the owner and finding we shared similar stories about wanting to return to our small-town Minnesota roots, we just felt like the purchase was meant to be. We feel privileged to continue this journey of Dirty Knees Soap Co. as we offer the same great products with a true origin story.

There are things that are important to us in life, sometimes small things. Like a great cup of coffee, soft quality sheets on your bed at night, your favorite sweater on a cold day, a glass of wine with friends or a fresh-smelling bar of soap for your morning shower. That’s what compelled us to pursue this venture. What we’re offering in our products is something that brings that experience of taking care of yourself and enjoying life in the small ways. Hope that you come along for the journey.