July: Salt of the Earth Monthly Round-up

July at Salt of the Earth: Palaces, Team Lunches and One Very Important Squirrel Question

Welcome back to our monthly round-up, where we pull back the curtain on life at Salt of the Earth HQ, our little corner of Chandlers Ford, Hampshire, where we've been making natural deodorants as a family-owned, independent business since 1993. July was a proper mixed bag: one palace, one very good takeaway, a festival's worth of crystal deodorant, and a squirrel-related dilemma we still haven't resolved. Here's what we got up to.

A Royal Reception at St James' Palace

The month kicked off in style. Our Managing Director, Thomas Laird, swapped the factory floor for St James' Palace to represent us at the official King's Awards for Enterprise reception, marking our Sustainable Development 2026 win. He even met His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester, which is not a sentence we ever expected to write about a company that started in a spare bedroom. It's our second King's Award in two years, and every bit as surreal the second time round.

Team Lunch, Hampshire Style

Back on home turf, the team had lunch from Josie's, a local favourite here in Chandlers Ford. Just good food, plenty of laughs, and a reminder that being a small, independent team means we still all fit round the same table (even if it is a squeeze and a big table now!).

Festival Season, Crystal in Hand

July also meant festival season, and our crystal deodorants earned their keep. Solid, unscented, the crystal has become the go-to for anyone packing a rucksack instead of a suitcase this summer. We rounded up more tips in our festival packing hacks post, if you're still deciding what goes in the bag.

Soaking Up the Summer Bundles

Elsewhere, our summer bundles have been getting plenty of sunshine, quite literally. Three scents, two formats, and a lot of very content customers topping up their refills as the weather holds. We wrote more about what's in them in our summer bundles post.

Two Magazine Features, and a Story We're Proud Of

July also brought us not one but two magazine features: Hampshire Life and the King's Award magazine, in a piece called The Scent of Success. Behind the photos is a story we're genuinely proud of. It started with Sally Laird buying a tiny two-product business back in 2005, running it from her own kitchen table, and growing it into what is now Salt of the Earth. Thomas has led the business day to day since 2008, with Sally's dad, Stuart, still on hand for strategy advice.

It's a story about taking risks, learning from setbacks, investing in UK manufacturing, and staying independent and family-owned the whole way through. For us, it's a good reminder that the best business stories aren't overnight successes. They're built over years of hard work, family support, a fair bit of resilience, and perhaps a slight obsession with making natural deodorant that actually works. A huge thank you to Hampshire Life for telling our story and featuring Thomas Laird.

A Sneak Peek Behind the Curtain

We can't show you much yet (that blurry image in the collage above is doing a lot of heavy lifting), but there's a new product on the way, and we're excited to share more soon.

Thanks for following along with another month at Salt of the Earth. Here's to whatever August has in store.

FAQs

Is Salt of the Earth a family-owned business?
Yes. Salt of the Earth is a family-owned, independent natural deodorant brand founded in 1993. Sally Laird bought the business in 2005, her son Thomas has run it day to day since 2008, and it remains fully family-owned today.

Where are Salt of the Earth deodorants made?
Our deodorant sprays, roll-ons, sticks and balms are all manufactured at our factory in Chandlers Ford, Hampshire, in the UK.

Has Salt of the Earth won any awards?
Yes. Salt of the Earth has won two King's Awards for Enterprise: International Trade in 2025, and Sustainable Development in 2026. Making the total 78 industry awards and counting!