The Poulias Soap Factory, constructed around 1880 by Panagiotis Poulias, sits within Plomari village by the Sedountas River. In 1883, his son Ioannis took over its management, later expanding it with a three-storey addition to meet increasing production demand. The smaller building’s ground floor housed soap kettles, a pump, a well, and a steam boiler, while the first floor contained offices and the loading hoppers of the machines below. The larger building stored olive oil on its ground floor, with the first and second floors serving as soap-drying areas. The factory’s soaps were primarily exported to markets within the Ottoman Empire.
The steam-powered soap factories and olive oil mills of the area significantly contributed to Plomari’s prosperity, establishing it as an industrial centre of Lesvos in the late 19th century. Soap factories were also active in other parts of the island, including Perama, Gera, Polichnitos, Mantamados, and Mytilini.
The Poulias Soap Factory ceased mass production in 1926 and closed entirely by 1953. It was purchased by the state in 1983 and restored. Today it hosts the Plomari Multipurpose Centre and the Soap-Making Museum.
