Saipua

Profile

Saipua co-owners Eric Famisan and Sarah Ryhanen created their first soaps under the watchful eye of Ryhanen’s mom, a soap making veteran for more than a decade in upstate New York. The olive oil-based soaps are hand cut, air dried, and cured in the pair’s Hudson Valley workshop. All soaps are free of artificial dyes and fragrances, scented instead with essential oils and herbs for varieties like coffee mint, lavender oatmeal, and rosemary chamomile, most for $8 a bar. Since opening Saipua in 2007 (named after the Finnish word for soap), the duo debuts new products twice a year, like the guy-friendly French green clay soap in the fall or lemon geranium soap in the spring. A small selection of soy candles is available alongside scrub brushes from Finland and wooden soap dishes carved by Ryhanen’s father. Each giftable bar comes wrapped in thick Cavallini Italian paper with floral or New York map prints. — Lauren Murrow

The family-owned Saipua got its start making soaps, but with the opening of its Red Hook shop in 2007, branched out into custom floral arrangements. Sarah Ryhanen uses fresh seasonal flowers to create exuberant bouquets. Prices upon request.