Six years ago, Andrea Shriver, 92BA, was busy turning her parents' house into one big smelly (that is, fragrant) mess. The place was the base of operations for a frenzy of holiday gift-making. She and husband-to-be Steve Shriver were concocting gifts of homemade soap.

Along with the use of nourishing natural ingredients, private-label sales and customer service have been key components in the growth of Virgin Body Care, according to owner Andrea Shriver, 92BA.

"We made batch after batch after batch of the stuff," she says.

She's since cleaned up—and in a big way. She and Steve moved production into their own home and then into the downtown Cedar Rapids J.G. Cherry Building in 1997, turning their moment of inspired gift-giving into a full-fledged business.

Their Virgin Body Care package labels boast of contents tout naturel but tres exotique, with ingredients as sweet as rosemary leaves and as earthy as virgin olive and hemp seed oils. Customers can find the Shrivers' soaps, lip balms, salves, and other natural products online at www.truebodycare.com and in Iowa City at Active Endeavors, Grass Roots, and New Pioneer Co-op.