Today we’d like to introduce you to Deborah Sibley.
Hi Deborah, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
In 2010, Capistrano Soap Company was founded by this dreamer making a mid-life career change. I left a public relations career to create an all-natural, luxury line of bath and body products. I think it was finally realizing that I wasn’t getting any younger, so the time was right to pursue a passion rather than a paycheck!
As a native of San Antonio, Texas, I longed to follow a local soap-making heritage passed down through three generations of my family – a story that began with my grandfather’s soapmaking company in 1929.
I’m proud to say Capistrano is a family-owned, San Antonio-based company where artisanal bodycare products are made in small batches from nature’s finest ingredients. Our artisans have a passion for handcrafting a bath and body collection that offers authentic, natural solutions for healthier skin. Capistrano’s skin-loving products are designed to naturally cleanse, revive and revitalize every skin type.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The first two years following the founding of Capistrano Soap Company were spent in research and development. The goal was to unearth greatness using only natural ingredients. That meant much of what was used in commercial development was out the window. It was an opportunity to rethink formulas with a fresh, healthy approach to bodycare.
Between vision and reality there are always challenges. Initially, batches of products failed to make the grade. We threw out gallons of soap, body wash and lotion before those first batches met my expectations. I was obsessed as we continued to reformulate one ingredient at a time. It doesn’t take long to learn to back your winners and abandon your losers. I believe it was ad man David Ogilvy that said, “Concentrate your time, your brains and advertising money on your successes.” I have lived by that motto from the start.
Once we had it right, the road to getting product on retail shelves was equally challenging. Rather than just being a wholesale manufacturer, I decided to open our first retail store. It had to tell “our story” of how our bodycare luxuries were created by nature and handcrafted by artisans. My staff had to be brand ambassadors who understood how modern products could be “fab, not faux.” We were there to share our healthier perspective on beauty.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
As founder and president of Capistrano Soap Company, I devote each day to curating a collection of must-have products to pamper skin. It’s my job to speak body language using pure, authentic ingredients that are brimming with nutrients and deliver ultimate skin nutrition.
I developed the ACEQUIA® Bath & Body Collection, a nutritional powerhouse designed to improve the tone, texture and radiance of skin. Our Luxe Bodywash, Natural Castile Soap and Skin Nourishment Lotion are packed with swoon-worthy botanical oils and butters and come in six delicious signature fragrances. This plant-powered bodycare also includes our hero, Aqua Crème, an ultra-rich moisturizer that treats lines and wrinkles overnight with intense hydration, essential nutrients and antioxidants to boost collagen production. This product has transformed customers into brand evangelists!
I have a respect for nature and knowledge of skincare that I incorporate in the company’s culture and craftsmanship. My artisan maker heritage is also shared in the public Creative Maker Workshops conducted at our studio in the La Villita Historic Arts Village of San Antonio. These classes take participants through the step-by-step craft process in soap and candle-making and the creation of facial scrubs and masks. My work is deeply rooted in our local culture, and it is gratifying to live out this calling while benefitting others.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
The term, “Living your best life” comes to mind as a definition of success. But, success is much more that a trendy tag line. I think of success not in terms of a body of work, but as a life well-lived. Success is the joy I find in each day – not necessarily days without conflict, but in how I have dealt with those obstacles. I begin each day with moments outside – still dark, yet can still see the beauty found in the stars and clouds that leisurely pass. So, my day always begins with serenity and ends the same way, communing with the majesty of our world. What happens in between is up to me to navigate, and that feels empowering. Feeling gratitude for the world that surrounds me and confident in my choices are what define success for me.
Pricing:
- ACEQUIA Aqua Creme – 8oz $24
- ACEQUIA Luxe Bodywash – 15 oz $22
- ACEQUIA Skin Nourishment Lotion – 8 oz – $24 $
- ACEQUIA Natural Castile Soap – 8 oz $16
- ACEQUIA Bentonite Clay Mask – 4 oz $16
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.capistranosoap.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capistranosoapcompany/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capistranosoap
