We first discovered Produce Candles on a packaging design blog and knew it was perfect for our specialty food store. Like the fresh grown ingredient each scent is derived from, Produce Candle varieties change with every season. During our celebration of all things salad-related, we thought we would check in with one of our new best-sellers and get a little insight into how these unique candles are made!
We know that Farmer’s Markets were a big inspiration for you in the development of Produce Candles, was there any other event or person that you tapped for inspiration? Farmers Markets and our experiences with the sights, sounds, and people were essentially our inspiration for Produce. There is so much energy and life every Saturday morning here in Charleston... we tried to capture it within our candle. We were also inspired by the feelings we had when we would return home from farmers markets. Not just purchasing but also the event of cooking with it in the home! Buy local... eat local!
What was the first scent you developed? Is it still around? I'd say the first fragrance we nailed down and really knew we felt strongly about was Kale! Fresh, vibrant, and clean.
Are there any ingredients that you would like to recognize that maybe your/our customers don’t know you use, but are proud of? (ie Local) Our candles are all natural soy wax! This wax is so much better for your home and the environment. PLUS.. this means your candle will burn much longer and much cleaner. 70 hours plus!
Can you give us an idea of how you develop the scents? Sure! We have a really great relationship with our fragrance oils company. The process begins with us touching, tasting, and feeling the actual produce and brainstorming what we feel would represent our brand and each season the best. From there we present our fragrance oil company with a list of possible fragrances. They mix up a "rough draft" of fragrance for each and then from there it is a long road of tweaking back and forth before we feel they represent the actual crop!
What’s your favorite thing to buy from a Farmers Market seasonally?
- Winter- Kale! Or possibly Squash..
- Spring- Strawberries! Just before it get to hot and steamy down here in SC
- Summer- How to choose! Peaches and Blackberries I'd have to say.
- Fall- Sweet Potatoes! I'm a Southerner...
What is your most memorable meal? I'm not sure I personally have one... I do have to say one of my favorite memories from meals is eating Tomato pie from fresh tomatoes in my Grandmother's garden. Tastes like Summer!
What’s next for your business? Fall and Winter fragrances will release very shortly! Stay tuned!