Supporting Local Makers Beyond a Global Pandemic
It’s been a year since Mount Royal Soap Company’s three-person team first reimagined their 500 sf kitchen to meet local demand for personal protective equipment (PPE). Today, and ~1 million bottles of hand sanitizer and soap later, the Baltimore-based skincare manufacturer continues to defy expectations of what a small business is capable of when given the right supports.

“Three soap-obsessed friends” (Courtesy photo)

Prior to last year, governments and institutions often overlooked the opportunity to partner with local makers, pointing to high costs and limited production capacity as key barriers. However, PPE shortages brought on by the breakdown of our global supply chain in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic tested that calculus.

With nowhere else to turn, institutional buyers began sourcing from local manufacturers, and an interesting thing occurred: their investment allowed these businesses to increase their production capacity and lower their costs.

The case of Mount Royal Soap Company demonstrates that with the right investments, small businesses can overcome these challenges — all while circulating dollars back into the local economy and strengthening our regional supply chain.
['Irene Bantigue']
['Makers', 'Baltimore', 'Small Business', 'Covid 19', 'Local Economy']