Company History
Our History
Vanguard Over the Years
1938
Charles Breazeale earned his chemistry degree at age 19 during the Great Depression, and after years of odd jobs, he began his soap career in 1938 as the chemist at Tennessee Soap Company.
1943
The company was started in 1943 by Charles and Evelyn Breazeale.
1943
In 1943, Charles developed a new line of washing powders.
1945
In 1945, Charlie and Evelyn bought our current plant site and expanded into bar soap, liquid soap, sanitary janitorial products, and car washing products.
1951
In 1951, they bought the Tennessee Soap Company.
1966
Jim Breazeale joined the business in 1966, at a time when the business had overextended into too many products and become dependent on declining government work.
1967
In 1967, he bought a New York soap company to further expand soap base production.
1969
In 1969, he started a new division processing vegetable oils into fatty acids, and over the years he continued to expand that business unit.
1997
In 1997, he acquired assets of a New Jersey soap company in order to expand our industrial soap and soap base business.
1998
Jeff Breazeale joined Valley Products in 1998, starting his journey in the consumer bar soap division.
2009
In 2009, Jeff and his management team formed Vanguard Soap to buy the assets of the original family bar soap business.
2010
Vanguard began producing liquid soaps and body washes in 2010.
2014
In 2014, the shareholder groups of Vanguard Soap and Valley Products merged into one holding company.