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Trev and Denice are real soap stars

Elaine Grundy • Published 5 Dec 2011 14:00 Mobiles Print Comments 17 Comments

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A GOUROCK couple have told the Tele of their ambitious plans to establish an ethical soap manufacturing business in Greenock that will employ 20 full time staff and produce 50-tonnes of soap and cosmetic goods within three years.

Their extraordinary social enterprise is aimed at stopping child trafficking, supporting destitute women in Ghana and providing work for former drug addicts from Greenock, plus others who have suffered breakdowns.

And the soap factory dream is already well on the way to becoming reality.

Trev and Denice Gregory have been working tirelessly since setting up Trade Right International.

The organisation is registered in the UK as a community interest company and works with disadvantaged and vulnerable groups to help them set up sustainable businesses and equip them with the necessary skills and resources to support themselves financially.

TRI was initiated in 2008 in order to help female shea nut pickers obtain a fair price for their products.

Today it works with around 1,000 women in Ghana to enhance economic viability, environmental sustainability and social responsibility within the shea industry.

The shea butter is then brought to Inverclyde and turned into soap by former drug addicts at The Haven rehabilitation project.

And the project has been so successful the plan is now to secure funding and create a full soap manufacturing facility.

Trev said: "Last year we received £10,000 from the National Lottery for the idea to turn shea butter into soap, but we decided not to say anything then because we wanted to see if the idea worked.

"It did, and we see this potentially as quite a big future and a big project."

Trev - who gave up his job as a charity consultant to set up TRI - said arrangements have been made for the women in Ghana to take the shea nuts they pick to local village halls for collection instead of having to walk for four hours to reach a market.

Receiving a fair wage means the women do not then have to sell their children into labour - and this has helped stop the potential trafficking of up to 4,000 children a year.

But the Gourock couple's project is not only helping those abroad.

Between October 2010 and July this year TRI has been operating a pilot project with The Haven - the local, registered charity that provides support and accommodation to young men aged 17 to 40 with drug and alcohol addiction problems.

TRI has been working closely with nine individuals at The Haven, training them to produce luxury handmade soaps and cosmetic items.

The nine include Tom Wilson, who they have trained to become an artisan soap maker.

Tom, 25, said: "I've spent half of my life being addicted to drugs, and I am now well and truly on the road to recovery. When TRI came to The Haven and asked if I would be interested in learning how to make soap I said 'yes' straight away.

"It was really interesting to learn about the different ingredients and where they came from. It is meaningful to know that TRI are also helping poor women in Ghana by sourcing the shea nut butter from them."

Soap made by the Haven workers is being sold under the brand Carishea and can be purchased online, while Denice is currently working on new recipes.

Trev and Denice currently work from premises in Laird Street but have already identified a facility in Greenock, still under wraps, that would be ideal for the soap production. And in 2012, the Scottish Hair and Beauty Awards will use Carishea as their Charity of the Year - helping to promote the range and the project to the wider business community.

This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 05 Dec 11

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