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.