Although the scale of our operation may have changed since we launched in 2014, our processes have stayed much the same. Back then we made candles in small batches on our kitchen worktops. Now, everything is made in our dedicated workshop by our talented crew. Here we take you through a tour of our workshop and all the candle magic that happens there...
Visitors to the shop are always surprised to hear that our candles, melts, tealights and diffusers are made in-house. But we still hand prep, pour and finish every one of our own brand products using processes we've perfected over the past 7 years.
We work with soy wax which is delivered to us in flake form. We load it in to our melting tanks which then gradually heat up, turning the flakes to liquid. The tanks hold the liquid wax at a set temperature for as long as needed.
When liquid, soy wax has a golden hue and a natural, slightly creamy scent. We add our fragrances and then pour the wax in to whatever we have on the production schedule for that day.
The team get in to a rhythm with pouring as it can take a couple of hours to fill everything. Somebody will be constantly stirring the wax pot, another of the crew refilling the jugs and one more person actually filling the jars themselves. Over the years we've perfected our pouring technique to minimise any spills.
Once the candles are poured, the wax begins to cool at a rapid pace. At this stage it's crucial to ensure the wick is centralised so the team pay close attention to each one.
You can see above how the wax turns from a soft gold to a gentle off-white as it solidifies. The high recycled glass content of these jars gives them a slight green tint, too. Candles are left for a minimum of 12 hours before being moved. This allows them to fully set and cool down, ready for the next stages.
When we are recruiting for the workshop we incorporate practical tasks in to the interview. We find it's a good ice-breaker to get rid of any interview nerves and it also shows candidates how precise we have to be. Any under-filled candles, off-centre wicks or wonky labels must be picked up at this stage to ensure only the very best products make it to our customers. The team finish hundreds of candles per day, using their eagle eyes to spot anything that isn't up to standard.
Once products are finished they are stored to finish the curing process. Once ready they can make their way to our customers, either by online orders, through the shop or via one of our wonderful stockists.
As a small business we've made the decision to keep production in-house. We don't want to outsource this element of our business because it's what makes us unique. We hope you'll agree!