In 1948, while monarchies were losing power in some countries, in Colombia a blue and very different monarchy was starting to rise. It was far from ostentatious tiaras, jewels and royal palaces, but it is in the hearts of many Colombians.
This reign has been in Colombian homes for 75 years. It was originally created for washing clothes, but other uses and benefits have been attributed to it: among other beliefs leave hair shiny, remove bad energy from work, attract luck if you bathe with it.
(You can read: The most well-known and rare uses of Rey soap in existence).
And behind the gentle product there is a total ‘ruler’. It is about a man born in Cundinamarca who created the famous. king soap
Otoniel Rey’s journey begins in this Colombian episode. She was the eldest of three brothers and had to take charge of her home after her mother’s death. Otoniel made the following decision after this loss and with the responsibility of being the “man of the house”: Embark on an adventure in the cold capital at age 14.
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Looking like a foreigner with glass glasses, a very formal suit, and a distinctive mustache, he got a job at one of Jabonerías Unidas’ cleaning products factories in Bogotá, the factory owned and founded by businessman Moris Gutt. lesson.
This was his first contact with working life and with soap, which is a product without thinking. He would be one of the most recognizable in the country. “Otoniel asked us to stay away from meat bait,” says one of her sisters.
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Bar soap for washing clothes was booming at that time, and Otoniel, without his knowledge, began to examine some of the magazines brought to him from the United States by Mrs. Tornecina, the owner of the factory, and to experiment with the materials. was at work. At the time, the woman did not know the potential she evoked in this young man.
The Young King can be used to wash clothes and also yield more than any other already available on the market.
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Soap bars were made with bait, and his sister was in charge of extracting the fat from the meat of animals. Regarding the remaining animal part, Otoniel’s sister, Miss Ana Victoria Rey, said that donated to the community and made great fries.
“He started making yellow and blue sticks like this. He brought some to my mother and said, ‘Wash a few white shirts with this blue soap and leave them with some soap to see if they are faded, if they will dye another white shirt with this yellow soap.’” , mentions .
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Ana Victoria laughed, remembering that this soap was so good because it could waste clothes: “It wasn’t dyed yellow or blue.”
That’s how a yellow bar of soap was born, yes, yellow, the most popular soap in Colombia, had some sort of identity crisis. However, Rey made the decision of the bar association after conducting a survey among her relatives. soap would have been blue in color as we know it today.
Otoniel’s offer became so popular at the cleaning products factory that factory owner Moris Gutt decided to have the surname Rey on the soap bar as a way of thanking him for creating one of the products. for time.
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Otoniel was not alone in this process of creation, like every king, he had a queen, Doña Carmen Torres de Rey, a native of Fusagasugá who supported him throughout the journey.
He wanted to marry Carmen a year after they met, and they were married 20 days later. Don Rey fell in love with his queen every day because he loved to create things that would last over time. Their marriage lasted 60 years and they had 11 princes and princesses.
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One of his sons, Luis Enrique Rey, remembers Otoniel being very strict about parenting, but also admires that he is very responsible despite spending more time at work than at home.
But it took Mr Rey’s time to create a product so well known to Colombians, as his son Luis Enrique recalls it took three days in a row at the company: “We said it would be better if he kept the bed there.”
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As an empirical chemist and soap expert, he started the production of Otoniel Rey soap and shared his joy with everyone in need. According to her granddaughter, Jenny Rey: “She worked until she was 80 and stayed with the company because she was my girlfriend.”
Weekends were sacred to him, he devoted himself to sharing with his family and friends. “He never had a fortune, dedicating his money to making big markets so that the whole family could be with him and help many. There was always a party at home,” says Jenny.
Rey, who fell in love with his queen and finished his working hours, took his wife to the movies and dance, while the children were left in the care of the lady who helped her husband in the house. “He told us that the happiest day of my grandfather’s life was the day he invented Rey soap.” adds.
Rey soap began to spread ad-free with the approval of all housewives, it was a very accessible and good product, so it became a go-to word of mouth and became one of the favorites of Colombians.
In the midst of that broken phone chain, magical benefits began to be offered to him. According to Jenny King, They did not use shampoo at home, they washed their hair with soap, it left the hair soft and shiny. The Rey family also used their invention to wash pots.
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Already a national symbol, the product reached the United States, where the magazines that created it came from. the same Otoniel Rey went to Miami and was surprised to see that her soap was exported and decided to buy a box of soap. and bring them to Colombia.
Fusagasugueño worked until the age of 80 in the factory that gave him his first and only job. There, he oversaw the creation of other Dersa brand products and, although he did not bear his surname, was the darling of the company for the rest of his life.
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Her granddaughter Jenny Rey says her grandfather never stopped sharing with family and friends. After retiring, around 2010, Otoniel and Carmen Torres had one last date, a dance filled with love and kisses; Rey died of natural causes in 2010, and his wife passed away in 2020.
After the death of his wife and for one last request, Rey soap began to be launched with the slogan “fortunately” in its advertisement, which attributed more than 310 uses, and later became the “king of those who know”.
Dersa firm continues to produce Rey soap. Although the glass is the most preferred form of presentation, powder and liquid detergents are also produced.
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I am Bret Jackson, a professional journalist and author for Gadget Onus, where I specialize in writing about the gaming industry. With over 6 years of experience in my field, I have built up an extensive portfolio that ranges from reviews to interviews with top figures within the industry. My work has been featured on various news sites, providing readers with insightful analysis regarding the current state of gaming culture.
