Everything Used to be Better – or Not?!

150 years of the soap boiler newspaper or SOFW Journal show interesting insights into the “good old days”.

In 1880, a “dire situation” in the soap industry was described, which was caused by consumer thrift and overproduction of soap, which resulted in a drop-in price. The increased rail freight tariffs and import duties for raw materials – especially lard – also caused problems for manufacturers. One result: poorer soap quality. In order to stop the price decline, there was a “convention” between over 30 soap manufacturers to set minimum prices – price fixing was still common. However, this alliance did not last long. Everyone was probably looking out for self.