Prospects burn bright for soy candle company
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| Burnt Out Solutions makes candles such as this one.. click here to check out the whole lineup! |
As published in The Regional Magazine
by Patty Mintz
Running a successful business is one thing. Doing it with respect for the environment and a social conscience is another. One Valley company does all of that and then some.
"The Nelson Mandela of candles" is how Yuki Hayashi, a senior editor at Style At Home magazine, described a line of products being made by Burnt Out Solutions in New Minas. The article appeared in The National Post.
Production supervisor Michelle Kulyk says while she was taken aback by such a dramatic comparison, she agrees with the premise. "We're the ultimate feel-good company," she said.
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| Don Saunders and Les Falconer looking good on the cover of The Regional Magazine |
In an industry as competitive as candles, the bar needs to be high. Kulyk says at least a month is spent testing each prospective new scent, container, color, wick and wax blend. Consumers evidently demand a quality product and appealing packaging as much if not more than altruistic manufacturing practices.
"We found out early on that (environmental and social awareness) wasn't enough. Sure it's nice, but that wasn't what sold the product," says Kulyk, who also heads product development.
Les Falconer, one of the company's four owners, believes that customers' interests are mixed, with some intent on how long the candles burn while others e-mail to express passionate support for the progressive employment practices and use of clean-burning soy wax. The more commonly-used paraffin wax has been tied to poor indoor air quality and lung problems, and the Environmental Protection Agency recognizes it as responsible for aggravating respiratory illness, especially in children.
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| Production supervisor Michelle Kulyk, pictured with staff member John Andrew, calls Burnt Out Solutions "the ultimate feel-good company." |
"We wanted to get in on the early soy wax bandwagon. We started with the philosophy that we were going to manufacture candles for two or three companies in the States," including Kiss My Face, said Falconer.
Gradually, however, local sales have bloomed. Don Saunders of Saunders Tartans and Gifts in New Minas is pleased with the line of heather-scented, clan-crested candles created exclusively for the store by Burnt Out Solutions. His business, as well as Jennifer's of Nova Scotia on Spring Garden Road, Halifax, are important wholesale clients.
Also at the core is a solid base of private label customers, including the Ritz Carlton and Fairmont hotel chains, and a major San Francisco-based chocolate company, which carries their premium Chocolate Cremes line of candles. Private label customers are an asset, says Kulyk, because "We don't have to do the heavy amount of sales or research and development for packaging."
For now, Falconer says efforts are focused on completing a tourist and gift market line of Canadian and Maritime floral candles with a specific design and scent for each province.
He acknowledges that, at this point, breaking into the billion-dollar candle industry with soy wax as a selling point is proving to be a challenge. "It's a struggle right now, but we're only three or four years into it."
But as consumers become more aware of soy versus paraffin, he says, even corporate giants such as the Yankee Candle Company will likely turn to soy as an alternative.
