Our shipment of hand crafted bath goods from Syria finally made it to LA! It took us three months of hard work, patience, negotiation and finding solutions to working in a country currently sanctioned by the U.S. But it was all worth it. 

Syria has been in a civil war for over nine years, leaving the infrastructure of most of the country destroyed and the spirit most of its people in despair.  And with the county under sanctions, import and export goods have dropped a great deal. 

But our Mint + Laurel team persisted, working daily via whatsapp and video messages with our partners in Syria, together we were able to overcome the numerous obstacles thrown our way. In Hama, our textile manufacturer Abudllah, had a difficult time finding raw materials needed like cotton. In Aleppo, Hasan our soap manufacturer had one of his machines in the soap factory  break down and finding a replacement was very challenging. We spoke to him daily via texts to help ease his frustration and encourage him to keep his spirits up. In Damascus, the group of women making our beautiful embroidered pouches are living in extreme conditions with regular electricity cuts and lack of heat during the cold winter. Therefore, it took three times longer this time to make our signature pouches. The price of the dollar was constantly changing, which affected not only our artisan partners but also finding a safe shipping route came at a high price. In fact, when the date of the shipment departure was announced, the Mint + Laurel  team was holding their breath and crossing their fingers. Finally, the shipment arrived and the beautiful scents of Syria spread all over Manhattan Beach, CA.