All-natural soaps made and sold in Pittsfield store

12:00AM / Wednesday, September 04, 2002Print Story | Email Story

North American Naturals is a retail and natural soap manufacturing business in the Allendale Shopping Center in Pittsfield. Most of the 3,700-square foot factory outlet, which opened in late April 2001, is dedicated to the production of all-natural vegetable and glycerine soaps, said Carl Becker who, along with Matt Kelly, owns the business. Besides the soaps, a large variety of all-natural bath and beauty products are for sale at the store. Becker and Kelly, along with their employees, produce three lines of soap: North American Naturals, encompassing 100-percent-natural, 100-percent-vegan soaps; Berkshire Soaps, encompassing 98-percent natural soaps with fragrance oils; and private labels, encompassing soaps made for specialty stores, hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, as well as other commercial entities. Wholesale business is the focus of North American Naturals, Becker said. Some of the companyâ€™s customers include Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, N.Y., Arrowhead, Hancock Shaker Village and MASS MoCA, said the Lee resident. Available in the retail section of North American Naturals are a number of all-natural products: massage oils, bath salts, essential oils, aromatherapy teddy bears, body scrubs, hand salves, facial masques and gourmet, herbal bath teas. In addition Becker and Kelly sell rubber ducks, herbal incense, bubble wands, mirrors, natural agate wind chimes from Brazil, banks, mobiles and bath products, including loofahs, puppets and natural sponges from the Florida Keys. They also sell candles, including soy candles, which Becker said are the â€œbest candles [ever] inventedâ€ because they burn cleaner and brighter than other candles. The stores specialty, Becker said, are gift baskets. They do customized baskets for showers and weddings, he said. North American Naturals produces and sells 21 varieties of soap under the North American Naturals and Berkshire Soap labels. Some of the North American Naturals soaps include papaya, cinnamon spice, patchouli passion, pet soap and oatmeal lavender, the companyâ€™s bestseller. In the Berkshire Soap line are honey-oatmeal, sandalwood, spearmint and watermelon/cucumber. Becker said North American Naturals, in the spirit of Ben & Jerrys ice cream company, gives new varieties of soap a chance, ones he and Kelly think will be popular or will capitalize on a certain season. They have sold Christmas soaps in the past and will do so this year, he said. North American Naturals has a new line of insect repellent products and a line of liquid soap, which Becker said will be on the shelves by Christmas. The insect repellent line includes Uncle Carlâ€™s â€œBug Awayâ€ Soap and Uncle Carlâ€™s â€œBug Awayâ€ Spray. Both contain pure essential oils of citronella and two other all-natural, all-vegan essential oils that are known insect repellents. The spray and the soap, the only one of its kind in the world, according to a product information sheet, help repel mosquitoes, ticks, flies and no-see-ums, which are also known as biting midges. â€œI think I have one of the best natural bug repellents in the world,â€ Becker said. Becker and Kelly use an age-old process to make their soaps, Becker said. To make soap, they blend the following ingredients in stainless steel kettles: olive, palm and coconut vegetable oils; pure, aroma-grade essential oils; and various grains, spices, exotic oils and vitamin E. When the liquid soap reaches a certain point, it is poured into traditional wooden molds where it cools. The soap is then hand-cut into bars. Lastly the soap is cured for three to six weeks in a climate-controlled finishing room, Becker said. He said he started North American Naturals for three reasons: self-preservation, to bring a quality product to the market, and to educate people about soap. Regarding the first reason, Becker uses the companyâ€™s soaps to help control a painful skin condition he has battled his entire life. Regarding the second reason, he said he is passionate about the natural soaps that he produces and sells and said why he thinks commercial soaps arenâ€™t very good for skin. He talks down about their ingredients, which he said dry out and damage skin. Becker knows a great deal about different kinds of soap, their ingredients, and the history of soap and soap-making. He gives many free tours to students, mostly Kindergarten through sixth grade students but also high school students. Becker shows the students the soap-making area and the store and enlightens them with his knowledge of soap, he said. North American Naturals is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call the store at 499-6918 or check out its websites: www.nansoap.com and www.vegsoap.com.

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McCann Recognizes Superintendent Award Recipient

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:32PM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Landon LeClair and Superintendent James Brosnan with Landon's parents Eric and Susan LeClair, who is a teacher at McCann.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Superintendent's Award has been presented to Landon LeClair, a senior in McCann Technical School's advanced manufacturing course.

The presentation was made last Thursday by Superintendent Jame Brosnan after Principal Justin Kratz read from teachers' letters extolling LeClair's school work, leadership and dedication.

"He's become somewhat legendary at the Fall State Leadership Conference for trying to be a leader at his dinner table, getting an entire plate of cookies for him and all his friends," read Kratz to chuckles from the School Committee. "Landon was always a dedicated student and a quiet leader who cared about mastering the content."

LeClair was also recognized for his participation on the school's golf team and for mentoring younger teammates.

"Landon jumped in tutoring the student so thoroughly that the freshman was able to demonstrate proficiency on an assessment despite the missed class time for golf matches," read Kratz.

The principal noted that the school also received feedback from LeClair's co-op employer, who rated him with all fours.

"This week, we sent Landon to our other machine shop to help load and run parts in the CNC mill," his employer wrote to the school. LeClair was so competent the supervisor advised the central shop might not get him back.

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