Tatev Khachatryan
Shant Khayalyan left Aleppo when the situation in Syria grew tense. First, he moved to Jordan, then, in 2013, to Armenia, which he claims to be his final destination. He reluctantly admits being 41-years-old, joking that he’s afraid girls won’t talk to him when they know he’s that old.
Despite being a programmer by profession, he decided to start a shampoo and soap making business in Armenia. It was a hobby of his back in Aleppo, where he learnt by watching his grandma.
Taking a loan to start a business, he named his production “Beauty Products”. At first, he was making only four kinds of soaps - carrot, oregano, parsley and chamomile - and he was delivering them to the shops by his own car. At present, his products can be found online as well as in different supermarkets and shops.
His range of soaps has grown to 20, and he makes 16 kinds of shampoos. Various oils, types of clay, wax, hair and skin creams are also in production.
Raw materials, with the exception of olive and coconut oil, are local and natural. For example carrot soaps are made from Aramus carrot. Despite this, the product is not considered organic, because in that case it must go through a special process for getting licenses, which, according to Shant, will increase the price. "In reality, it is organic, as we can use materials all these materials in food or daily household chores, too, but not having "organic" in the name permits having more affordable prices,”Shant explains.
Shant prepares everything by himself. He’s up from early morning until late at night to prepare about 120 soaps daily. "When they say, this is for th...
Read full story
