STAMFORD’S CHANDLER

Covid lockdowns allowed Sasha Olsen time to perfect the art of candlemaking. Mary meets her

STAMFORD-BASED SASHA Olsen had become increasingly irritated when quite high-end candles which cost a lot of money didn’t burn well. We’ve all been there, we light a candle, burn it for a good few hours, but it still tunnels so you end up wasting half the wax along with your money. Or the wick suddenly disappears. Alternatively (or as well as) the scent can be so faint you can’t smell it or it’s so overpowering you can virtually taste it!

Yes, it irritates us but most of us just vow not to buy that particular brand again. Not Sasha, she decided to make her own candles and this has subsequently grown into a new company, The Wick and Wax Co. ‘I was sure I could do a better job,’ she says.

Sasha’s background is fashion, photography, graphics, design and creative marketing so she’s creative and artistic and confesses to having a strong sense of smell and taste along with an entrepreneurial nature. She and her husband run a successful marketing agency so she’s always really busy keeping clients happy, growing brands etc. But during Covid, as we all did, Sasha had more time at home unable to go anywhere which gave her a chance to think more about her work/life balance, candles and making her own; something she had never done before.

‘I do love a challenge and knew that making a candle wasn’t going to be simple but was convinced I could do a better job than many of the brands on sale. t s a scienti c process and you have to get the balance between the components just right. Wax isn’t just wax. There are many natural plant-based waxes to choose from such as soy, palm, coconut, rapeseed and beeswax and then there is paraffin, otherwise known as mineral wax, which still dominates the scented candle industry because it is cheap, easy to use and widely available. I discovered that although it’s more expensive and takes a lot more effort to create a good plant based natural candle, the bene ts are far greater for the consumer.’

Sasha knew that she wanted her candles to be sustainable and not harmful to the environment. She was determined to get the baseline candle technically correct rst which meant experimenting with different types of wax content and wicks to achieve a really good, clean burn quality before adding any scents. The scented candlemaking industry is highly regulated which I didn’t realise. Chemicals are being used so labelling is vital because of allergies and, of course, burning a candle can cause res.

To test how a candle burns and to get the most efficient burn it needs to be tested in four-hour stints which Sasha did twice daily. ach type of candle often re uires ve or more days for a full testing cycle so those eight hours of daily testing allowed her to make huge progress. And of course, ‘you can’t just wing it, wax content has to be measured exactly and recorded accurately, it’s a long drawn out process.’

This obviously took lots of trial and error but after nearly nine months Sasha had formulated a core of commercially viable candles. There were obviously mistakes along the way but the nal range comprises two different products one uses a natural soya wax, the second being her own blend of coconut and beeswax. ‘I watched closely how each candle burnt, how long it took, whether it smoked and left soot on the ar, that sort of thing. Lots of different waxes and wicks were tested but I’m really pleased with the result.’

And then, of course, you need to add the scents which can signi cantly alter the way a candle burns. There are two types of oils that are used in candle making, essential and synthetic oils. Essential oils are extracted from natural matter such as plants and are known for their wellbeing properties; and synthetic oils, which are manmade, are more widely available and less expensive. Both types of oil can cause allergic reactions in some people so their use is strictly governed by the International Fragrance Association (IFRA).

Using only essential oils can limit your market because of the smaller range of scents. Combining synthetic oils as well means you have a broader palate to choose from. ‘I really enjoy experimenting with the oils to create different scents. m using a combination of both types of oil and in quantities that are well below the safety threshold which think bene ts the consumer whilst also helping to keep down the cost of production. I’m determined to be completely open about what ingredients I use, with clear product labelling and detailed information available on the website.’

Sasha’s friends and family have been a great judge of scents giving excellent feedback. ‘You can’t really just go on your own preferences as smell is so subjective.’ There are now 10 core scents in the range with a few seasonal ones added throughout the year – look out for the Christmas one, Noël, it’s gorgeous.

Once Sasha had her formulas correct and had built up some stock she had to sell them. nd that s the hard part. he got off to a flying start last year when she was asked to sell her candles at her son’s school Christmas Fair in November 2021.

‘I had the core range of six or seven fragrances as well as Noël so took about 60 candles with me. I had no idea how many I would sell, if any, but ended up selling over half of them and was delighted. That was it, I’d got the bug!’ Sasha’s marketing skills are coming to the fore now and she really enjoys actually being on the stands at fairs and seeing customers' reactions to her candles whilst chatting to them.

She now has a website which she has been able to do herself using her graphics skills and her knowledge as a branding specialist (she’s nothing if not versatile). And she has had a stand at Burghley Horse Trials and is attending many local Christmas Fairs including Witham Hall’s winter fair on November 12 (we’ll be there too).

As well as her everyday soy wax range of 10 fragrances in sizes from 75g to 500g Sasha has another luxury wax range which is highly sustainable and uses a coconut wax mixed with a hint of beeswax. All of her candles are designed to burn fully, cleanly and with the minimum of wastage, providing better value for her customers. Sasha is determined her candles are as sustainable as possible. Oils and wax are of the highest quality sourced from the UK and all glass and packaging is recyclable.

Her best seller is mint and honey and can de nitely vouch for that, it’s my favourite too closely followed by Tuscany. You’ll see Sasha at many local Christmas fairs in the next few months so go and have a sniff at her candles, can guarantee you ll like them.

www.thewickandwax.co Local customers are welcome to pick up their candles from Sasha directly from her home in Stamford.