Our Story

Van the Man Wonder Balm’s Story

Today’s Van the Man Wonder Balm was borne of a family journey that started before our first child was born in 2009. My pregnant wife wanted to know precisely what was in the products she used on her body. She’d liked my sister’s simple home-made moisturizing balm, received as a gift, and so I asked my sister what was in it. She gave me a starter kit – with no particular guidance on proportions – consisting of shea butter, cocoa butter, bees wax, and almond oil. My balm-making days commenced.

With a pot on the stove, I started to experiment. When trial begat error, I’d add a bit more bees wax; if that didn’t work, I’d try a bit more butter or oil – and I started playing with new and different oils. The batches would end up in a variety of re-used little jars that were always within reach – in a pocket, a purse, the glove compartment, or on the mantle. At some point, I realized the balm softened my beard and helped revive the tired, dry leather on my boots. As our two daughters grew from babies to teens, the balm not only comforted their chapped lips, but kept their cowgirl boots fresh until they outgrew them. My wife used it to soothe dry hands – and to bring a favorite leather bag back to life.

In the fall of 2021, a serendipitous turn of events planted the seed that grew into a balm business: we acquired a tiny 1996 Suzuki van from Japan. Our long-loyal pickup truck had fallen to pieces, and rather than replace it, I found this itty-bitty get-around-towner for sale on-line. When I showed it to the family, none of us could resist. After we purchased it and started driving it around the city, I soon came to believe that the van was the perfect vehicle for bringing the balm to market – and the “Van the Man Wonder Balm” idea was born!

Perfecting the balm recipe, sourcing it as locally as possible (including web design for this site by Dan Appleget), designing sustainable ways to package it, and putting it all together by hand in Baltimore’s iconic CopyCat Building – these pieces fell into place with support and input from the whole family. Our logo – the Van the Man Wonder Balm Van – was the most locally based element of the whole effort: it was designed at home by our eldest daughter. This spirit of simple sustainability and comfort is captured by our catchphrase: “It’s all good.”

For now, we plan to sell the balm hand-to-hand in the Baltimore area, bringing the van to events or to meet with clients. If we succeed, we’ll aim to ratchet up our capabilities and introduce on-line sales. In the meantime, we hope the word spreads as smoothly as our balm does!”