Taos Pinon Company was formed in 2016 to grant everyone the chance to experience New Mexico no matter where they dwell. The Spa products are scented with an oil created to duplicate the aroma of the two majestic trees.

Pinon is a small pine tree that produces an edible nut that fed Earth’s creatures from its first nuts and humans later when they inhabited this land. The pinon tree roots itself at 7000 to 9000 feet. It can be over 150 years old and have only a six inch diameter at the trunk level. Its the only tree on Earth with a bird named after it, the Pinon Jay. The tree produces a resin that is its signature sweet smell.

Cedar the brother to Pinon, growing at the same elevation and lower. Its purplish, blue berries are actually cones which are food for wildlife. Like the pinon it can be hundreds of years old and yet retains a small stature. Its leaf and berry have a fresh, lively aroma that spirits the soul.

Christopher Norton never thought he would get into lotion and soap making. Originally from rural upstate New York, Christopher in the spring of 1995 left the lush green farm lands of upstate New York and ventured to the enchanted dry desert of the Southwest. It was during the winter of 1999 when he opened the pages of a soap making book in a local store that the Sandia Soap story began. The first batch made was of pure Olive Oil (two bars of which are still in my desk drawer). He was hooked. Over the next nine months, Christopher made dozens of batches with different oils in different ratios. Then one day, he lathered up with the bar that was to be the signature soap, the one I would he placed his name on with pride. The Sandia Soap bar that he created that Fall is the same one the he cures to this day. It has long life (about five weeks if one person is using the bar), beautiful suds, a silky texture and flavor to the last bubble.

The high quality of the soap is one of the reasons Sandia Soap is the largest natural soap company in New Mexico, pouring over 11 tons a year.

Christopher Norton believes in the KISS principle……keep it simple. He does it all by himself except for a labeler and shipper. He likes working by himself becuase he simply is a soapmaker. "The root of KISS is to create a flow with your career, both physically and mentally." He goes on, " Had an advisor once tell me I should gear up to pour ten times as much, have a bunch of employees, and be a soap king. The only question I had for him was "Would I sleep at night?'. Nope, he didn't understand my question. He probably hadn't had a good night of sound sleep in years." Soap making is a beautiful art. He considers myself an artist since his soaps are colorful creations that come into this world in handmade batches. Christopher's warehouse is a aromatic sanctuary that makes the hours spent there a real treat rather than a chore. "I, and only I, bring each bar into this world, watching each batch come to trace and pouring it into the mold where its rests for 48 hours before I cut it down into the nicely sized 6 ounce bar."