Go & Do
When a hobby turns into a business The beginning of Olive & Co. By Ema Sasic
» WHEN MADISON ANDERHOLT DECIDED TO GIVE
CANDLE MAKING A TRY LAST JANUARY, SHE HAD NO IDEA WHERE THE JOURNEY WOULD LEAD HER — MAINLY BECAUSE THE FIRST CANDLE SHE MADE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A “DISASTER.” There’s a lot that goes into the process that she never considered before: how to properly melt wax, how much fragrance oils to add, how to slowly pour the melted wax. But through determination, and steady hands, a new hobby quickly manifested itself into a small business: Olive & Co. In a year’s time, she’s gotten people’s attention locally — her candles can be found in several stores — and nationally. People from Illinois, New York and other states are buying her products. “It’s flattering and it’s awesome to see people everywhere across the U.S. be interested,” she said. “I do a little happy dance anytime that happens.” In January 2020, Anderholt, who is a full-time teacher and intervention coordinator, decided to give candle making a try. As a fan of baking, self-care hobbies, math and science, all of that tied into making candles. So one weekend, after gathering a bunch of supplies off of Amazon and perfumes, she gave it a go — and quickly saw it wasn’t as easy a task as she thought. But the complexities behind the process and its therapeutic nature intrigued her. Sure, the first candle wasn’t the best, Anderholt said, but the coming months involved learning more about different waxes, trimming wicks, creating scents and operating a business with her husband, Dylan Wilson, out of their two spare bedrooms. The name Olive & Co. refers to Anderholt’s best friend, Olive, a black and white shih tzu that came into her life when she was 13 years old. For years they were an unstoppable duo, but in 2014, they both got sick. Anderholt recovered quickly, but Olive was getting much worse. On Dec. 14, 2014, Olive passed away, and Madison always told herself she would name something after Olive. What better way to honor her memory than putting her name on a beloved product, Anderholt thought. “That was the goal, to find something that her name could represent joy to other people because she was so joyful as a dog, and I wanted to represent that in the best
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April 2021
Olive & Co. founder Madison Anderholt shows off honey that is available for purchase on her website.
Dough bowls are available in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors.
PHOTOS BY EMA SASIC
