At long citrus-scented last, there is an all-natural reed diffuser that smells as delicious as all get-out. It’s from Soja & Co., the Montreal-based company founded by 29-year-old entrepreneur and fragrance dynamo Laurence Gaudreau-Pépin.
Ten years ago, when most first-year university students were opening bags of takeout, Laurence was opening a restaurant. “I started Taboo restaurant with my two brothers when I started university,” she says. “It began as a family project and turned into a career for the three of us. It was the best decision ever to start young as I gained experience quickly and I could test everything I was learning about business in my university classes.”
Wanting a business of her own (she still works part-time at the restaurant), she launched Soja & Co. in 2018, and it’s pretty cool. I was drawn to it because it’s hard to find all-natural reed diffusers full stop, let alone ones that smell lovely. Soja’s Eucalyptus + Grapefruit is fresh, yet subtle and smells wonderfully clean.
I love the amber glass bottle’s old-world apothecary look, and the impressive provenance behind the candles, which are hand-crafted in Montreal with cotton wicks and pure soy wax made with non-GMO soybeans and blended with phthalate-free vegan oils. The Amber + Oak is my favourite: rich and cozy and perfect for cocooning (Laurence’s current favourite is Camphor + Cashmere from the new spring collection).
The scents are layered and sophisticated, the price points very wallet-friendly and, with every order, a tree is planted (Soja donates a percentage of sales to Tree Canada). The vegan and cruelty-free collection also features liquid and bar soaps. Overall, it’s a feel-good and smell-even-better offering that’s made right here in Canada. I like that.
