Cedar Creek All Natural Products have down-home appeal

The old adage “waste not, want not” is an important concept at Cedar Creek All Natural Products in Arbor Vitae, Wis. The company’s most popular product, Plant Saver All Natural Deer Repellent, was created as a way to use up leftovers.

Cedar Creek started out making bath and body products, including soap. Founder Jennifer Kane said they wanted to do something with the ends of the soap bars instead of just throwing them away. She remembered her great grandmother, Esther Spitz, used to put soap ends in the garden to keep deer out. Kane took it a step further by combining the soap bits with bone meal, cloves and other natural ingredients to create a safe, biodegradable product.

“Now we sell so much Plant Saver that we actually make batches of soap just for the deer repellent,” Kane said. “In 2007, it was 57 percent of our wholesale sales. We often say someday we’ll talk about the good old days when we made soap just to wash with!”

Grandma Spitz would likely be pleased with Cedar Creek’s entire product portfolio. The company’s bath, body and backyard products are all based on organic formulations.

“Everything we do is simply made and simply wrapped,” Kane said. “We want to have the least impact on the environment as possible.”

The company stays true to its roots with its down-home, quirky sensibility. Some of Cedar Creek’s most popular products include Mama’s Headache’s Gone and Mama’s Back’s All Better, two rubs packed with beneficial essential oils.

A new item especially for gardeners is Dirt Soap, a cleanser that smells like fresh soil. The product was developed by tweaking an earth-scented soap for hunters that masks human scent. Kane assures retailers that while it smells like dirt, it definitely cleans like soap.

“It’s a great gift for any gardener, hunter or for that teenage boy you have been trying to get into the shower.”

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For more: Cedar Creek All Natural Products, (715) 385-9156; www.cedarcreekproducts.com.

June 2008