In 2016, Tanairí Miranda Torres was 19 years old when she started making and selling handcrafted soaps while working as a cashier in the electronics department at the Walmart in Baramaya, in Ponce.
Nine years later, her brand BARRAS occupies the shelves of every Walmart in Puerto Rico.
But throughout her success story as an entrepreneur, she has worn many hats: seller, content creator, manufacturer, packager and manager.
And it all started with a desire to save money on Mother's Day gifts by making something by hand.
From soap bars to BARRAS, the business
From a recipe written on a stained piece of paper, Miranda Torres learned to make soaps in her grandmother's kitchen.
From that first batch she sold to people close to her, she drew the inspiration to start a side hustle that would help her become financially independent while she studied for her bachelor's degree in elementary education at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Puerto Rico.
The business she founded on her own became her passion: she would produce and package soaps after her 4:00 p.m. shift until midnight, finishing her second job in the early morning hours.
And she sold on her own, from the trunk of her car when it rained to a table she set up at fairs.
After two years, she left her job at Walmart to work full time on her venture and officially launched her brand, BARRAS Jabón Artesanal.
Then, in 2017, Hurricane Maria disrupted Miranda Torres's path. Although she had left Walmart to start her business, she found herself without a job and without a functioning venture. Even so, determination and perseverance carried her through.
"For many years after Hurricane Maria, basically every weekend, I would go out," said the 29-year-old entrepreneur.
She traveled from Ponce to San Juan and other municipalities to promote herself, regardless of the weather.
"If it wasn't an event at a fair, we looked for events inside shopping centers where there was more foot traffic so we could get our name out there," she recalled.
At one point, she tried to stop, "but there were a lot of people who wouldn't let me quit or walk away from this," the entrepreneur admitted.
"We weren't ready" for the shelves
During the pandemic in 2020, BARRAS reinvented itself with online sales and support from customers in the diaspora. That same year, Miranda Torres took part in an open call from Walmart Puerto Rico for local brands.
Although Walmart initially approved BARRAS, Miranda Torres realized they were not ready to take the next step: the manufacturing operation wasn't ready, the product needed adjustments, and the margins weren't viable for entering a chain that large.
"If there's anything worse than being told 'no,' it's recognizing that, even though you have the opportunity, you can't yet… I had to step back humbly."
📈From that lesson, Miranda Torres managed to transform her operation with the help of her husband Jean Cruz González, who handles all of the manufacturing.
She also found mentors to guide her through growing her brand, created standardized processes inspired by large companies, and built a team of 10 employees, including her grandmother, who support her across all of manufacturing.
Her flagship product, the Makeup Remover Soap Bar, which went viral, "has been our best seller for years," Miranda Torres explained. She created the soap in 2018.
After fully validating her product, innovating on the formula and improving the packaging, the entrepreneur finally had what she needed to enter the Walmart market.
A local brand with national reach
In August, BARRAS shipped its first order of makeup-removing soaps to Walmart distribution centers, a major step for the local brand.
"Before, I could probably make 100 to 200 soaps, depending on how many nights I was working until 3:00 in the morning," Miranda Torres estimated.
They now produce more than 10,000 handmade soaps a month, a significant difference from the brand's early days, nearly a decade ago.
The entrepreneur from Ponce has a clear next goal: expanding BARRAS to the United States.
"I'm very sure about my next move, which is definitely to jump the pond. In the next 5 years, we want to reach Walmart Orlando, Florida,"
Miranda Torres said.
She also wants to be a role model for her one-year-old daughter and other entrepreneurs, showing them "that there is no dream too big, too crazy. There is no simpler product in this world than a soap, anyone can learn to make a soap, but things in business are not that simple" without determination.
All Walmart locations in Puerto Rico
Kiosks at Plaza del Caribe and San Patricio Plaza
Farmacias Caridad and Pharma Max
Their website to see the full catalog
This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
