With a philosophy degree from Vassar in his back pocket, Hall Newbegin had his hands deep in desert soil, breathing in the complex fragrance of wild sage and juniper that most people rush past without noticing.
Growing up in Portland, Oregon, in the shadow of Mount Hood, Hall had spent countless hours fishing and camping, forging what would become a lifelong friendship with the wilderness. After college pulled him east, nature called him back west to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1991.
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| Photo: Juniper Ridge |
What followed were years of wandering and learning. Hall practiced organic farming and meditation. He traveled to Arizona to study with an herbalist. He led trips through landscapes that taught him to see beauty where others saw emptiness. "People think the Mojave is barren," he said, "but in reality it's the most biologically vibrant place you can imagine."
In 1998, all that wandering led Hall to his kitchen, where he began hand-crafting soap from the oils of real plants and tree saps he'd gathered himself. Juniper Ridge was born from the simple act of taking the wild places he loved and putting them in bottles.
Hall's vision grew, and today, the team at Juniper Ridge still handcrafts products in Oakland using sustainably harvested plants and traditional distillation techniques. They use upcycled trees removed for fire mitigation, creating authentic wilderness scents without synthetic perfumes or harmful chemicals.
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| Photo: Juniper Ridge |
Their Douglas Fir Spring Tip tea captures a stream-side hike in a cup, with bright citrus top notes and earthy undertones. The White Sage room spray transports you to the sun-baked Mojave with just a spritz, offering soft chaparral and spicy resin notes. From their Coastal Pine bar soap that brings California's temperate rainforests into your bathroom to the Desert Cedar body wash that evokes warm leather and sun-baked wood, each product tells the story of a specific landscape.
Hall understood that loving the wilderness meant protecting it. Through the Western Wilderness Defense Fund, Juniper Ridge donates 10% of profits annually to conservation groups.
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| Photo: Juniper Ridge |
Though Hall died in 2020, his mission continues. Juniper Ridge continues to awaken people's wild selves, whether they're deep in the backcountry or simply opening a bottle of his carefully crafted scents at home.
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