The story of TRAPP.

About soaps, personal care and textiles

Our story starts in 1950. Then thirteen sisters from the Trappistine Abbey of Soleilmont moved to the new Abbeyin Brecht. It was built with the help of the Trappist monks of neighbouring Westmalle.
The new community grew quickly. And like all the followers of Saint Benedict, the sisters rolled up their sleeves to earn a living. For, in his Rule for monks, Saint Benedict says that “they are only real monks when they live by the work of their hands”.

So it is that a lot of activity occurs. First we started weaving and sewing church textiles. In 1964, we began the traditional production of dish-washing liquid , which was soon joined by floor soap, bath foam and shampoo. Hospitals and care institutions were the first to choose our quality products, and soon they also became available in shops so that the whole of Flanders could enjoy them.

The solidarity and cooperation between Trappist Abbeys provided a beautiful new development in 2002. Sister GilChrist, from the young monastic foundation Tautra in Norway, taught our sister Katharina how to make natural and fine toilet soap. This led to a new cosmetic line of hand soaps, bath salts, shower gels and glycerine soaps.

We believe that staying true to our craft tradition while keeping up with a changing world is perfectly reconcilable and also important. But this requires effort and above all time, and that is where the challenge lies for us. How does this fit into our lives without weighing down our vocation? We found the answer with an external partner who relieves us of many practical matters, while we continue to concentrate on our Abbey recipes and guarding the philosophy behind our Trappist products.

The result of this collaboration was a completely renewed TRAPP. range in 2019. The familiar high quality has been further fine-tuned and we looked at how to have as little impact on the environment as possible. We developed a stylish, new corporate identity. The sober black and white is a reference to our Trappistine heritage. Also new is the ‘Monastic’ logo. This is a French quality mark that guarantees that we let the values of our Trappistine life prevail in our economic activity and that our products express this in an authentic way.

We classify everything into four lines:

• The unmistakable refined aroma of the lavender line is based on essential lavender oil. It comes from the beautiful lavender fields of the French Trappist Abbey of Aiguebelle.
• The aloe vera line has great properties for the skin. The juice from the plant leaves cleanses gently but deeply, and moisturises and restores the moisture balance.
• In the classic line, we collected all the historical top products. Think of the heather bath foam/shower gel, enriched with red juniper. Or the popular egg shampoo, subtly finished with marigold. You will also find the powerful floor soap and the detergent with eco label.
• An entirely new line is based on Westmalle Trappist beer. This surprising ingredient is packed with polyphenols, oligo-elements, minerals and vitamins that are beneficial for both skin and hair care. This was the conclusion of a scientific study carried out by the Institut Meurice in Brussels. There is also a nice historical aspect that links women to beer. In the past, beer was almost always brewed by women. It was part of the household work. Over the centuries, monks have taken on this work. Now, we want to reconnect with this beautiful tradition in an original way by incorporating Trappist beer into our body care products.

And the textile from the beginning of our history? Well, it is still there and very much alive. We have been taking up the thread more actively since 2021 by adding bath linen to our range. The high-quality bath cloths, guest towels, hand towels and bath towels in sleek, fashionable colours match the authentic cosmetics perfectly and should not be missing in any bathroom.