Rooted in San Antonio Tradition

OUR STORY

Handcrafting thoughtfully made bath and body products inspired by nature and guided by tradition.

ACEQUIA® bodycare is handcrafted in San Antonio, rooted in a soap-making heritage that has passed through three generations.

Our History

Capistrano Soap Company has a story that began long before I became its owner.

The company was named after Mission San Juan Capistrano in San Antonio, where its soapmaking heritage began with founder Deborah Sibley’s grandfather, Ignatz Kyrisch. Over the years, those time-honored recipes were thoughtfully reformulated into modern bath and body products, influenced by Deborah’s travels, experiences, and passion for handcrafted goods.

In 2011, Capistrano introduced the ACEQUIA® Bath & Body Collection, expanding the company’s tradition of handcrafted body care.

Today, I’m proud to continue that tradition while preserving the history and craftsmanship that have always been part of Capistrano Soap Company.

Our Spirit

The name ACEQUIA (pronounced ah’say·key·ya in Spanish) was inspired by the aqueducts that carried life-giving water to early settlements in the New World. The pure, crystal-clear water of our native artesian wells fed the San Antonio River, feeding acequias and transporting vital moisture to the earliest communities of colonial Spanish missions.

The Acequia Madre located at The Alamo in our home of San Antonio, Texas flows as a reminder that the luxury of water is as treasured today as it was centuries ago.

Meet our
Owner

Hi, I’m Kristen, the owner of Capistrano Soap Company.

I'm a Texas native through and through. I grew up in Brownsville, spent some time in Houston, and ultimately made San Antonio my home. I’m the wife of my amazingly supportive husband, Wes, a mom to three boys, and the very grateful owner of this sweet little soap shop tucked inside historic La Villita.

In a nutshell, I’m the person who turns a bottle around to read the ingredient list. I want to know what we’re putting in our bodies and on our skin, why an ingredient is there, and whether there’s a simpler way to make something that works just as well. Over the years, that curiosity grew into a real love for health, wellness, simple ingredients, and products made thoughtfully in my home.

Then Capistrano Soap Company came along.

When my husband and I had the opportunity to take ownership of this beautiful business, I knew we were stepping into something special. I didn’t start Capistrano, and I never want to give that impression. This little shop was loved long before I arrived, and I feel incredibly fortunate to be the person caring for it now.

My goal is to keep everything that makes Capistrano special while thoughtfully putting my own heart into its next chapter. That means continuing to make our products by hand, taking a closer look at our ingredients and formulas, and choosing simplicity whenever we can. There’s something special about creating products here that people can take home as a little piece of San Antonio.

Whether you walk through our doors while visiting San Antonio, live right down the road, or order from us across the country, I hope you can feel the care that goes into what we make.