The Walde family

In 1777, the first Walde soapworks was established in the Innstrasse, a picturesque block of city houses across the river from Innsbruck's old town, by Peter Walde I. At the time, there were still a few butchers, bakers and 5 soapmakers in that street. They worked with the refuse of the bakers (ash lye) and butchers (meat residuals) and turned it to soap. A perfect symbiosis in a miniature economic unit.

It is rather extraordinary that a family-run manufacture was able to survive the political and economic ups and downs of more than 2 centuries of history. That achievement alone makes Walde the oldest soap manufacture in the country and one of Austria's very oldest family businesses.

Today, managed by the 7th family generation, Peter Walde II. oversees the activities of Tyrol's only soap factory. His son, Lukas, ably assists him. Two creative spirits of the family have defined and designed this new line of soaps - shape, colour, script and package - Martin Walde, an artist living in Vienna, and Lisa Walde, a fashion designer from Innsbruck.

www.walde.at	www.lisawalde.com