Today we’d like to introduce you to Denise Godfrey.
Hi Denise, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
In 2020, we started our small business as just a “helpful side hobby” in the midst of Covid. We both got tired of buying candles and decided to make our own. Through the process of making our own candles, we discovered what it took to make a quality soy candle (after lots of trial and error) and really learned about the “science” behind candle making. My husband and I started small with family orders and ventured out to local markets. After some traction within our community, we were picked up by a couple of local wineries and started making their wine bottle candles. Currently, we are focused on wholesale orders only and still fulfill custom orders from customers on our website and through email.
Our process is and has always been very simple. Take discarded wine/liquor bottles, “Upcycle” them, and return them to the client for wholesale. Our name “G. Chandler Candles” has a meaning as well. The G stands for our last name and a chandler was a person who made and sold candles in old times. Our goal is to create a candle that you would be happy to own yourself and share with your family and friends.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
With any business nothing is ever a smooth road. There are always growing pains and these have showed up early on when starting and then grew more as we expanded in order size and volume of production. With us, we are a candle company but sometimes it feels like we are a glass company as well. The biggest issues with our business were not taxes, book-keeping, or income, but it was finding the right tools to make or process a systematic one that we put into place with each order. Once we did this and perfected our fragrance/scent to wax ratio, everything worked like a charm.
For example, you have a large candle order (1 case = 12 candles). On this particular order, we had 16 cases, so we had a total of 192 candles with a turnaround time of 10-15 days. Once these orders start being made by clients and they are paid for in full, there is simply a time crunch. Therefore, we had trial and error or time management on what and when to do the tasks of production. Like I stated before, we are not just a candle company but a glass company too. Before we can actually pour candles, we have to craft the vessels from glass bottles. This process was VERY time consuming because there were no “Go-bys” for how to do this. Depending on how large the order(s) were, several days were broken down into different smaller systems to actually go through the work.
Cutting, sanding, cleaning, pouring the wax and scent (candle process), then after cooling, dress the candles (meaning adding the warning labels, scent labels, and packing). These were our struggles along the way.
As you know, we’re big fans of G. Chandler Candles . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are a wholesale/retail Upcycled candle company based in Canton, Georgia. We take discarded/trash wine and liquor bottles, (and/or current bottles from a client winery) and turn them into upcyced candles through our process.
We specialize in upcycled wine bottle and liquor bottle candles on a wholesale scale, but we also complete custom orders for special gifts for any individual. What sets us apart from other candle makers is the unique product we make, is a form of art as much as it is a candle. When you hold an Upcycled G. Chandler Candle in your hand, there is something about the gravity of that object. You can tell and feel that a lot of time and effort has gone into making it along with a skilled craft.
I would like your readers to know that our brand is a family oriented small business that truly treats orders and making candles like we are making them for ourselves. We want to provide candles that you would want to own yourself and share with your family or someone special.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Our goal is to one day provide our services and our G. Chandler Candles philosophy to a larger audience. We are always looking to be able to provide our Upcycled candles to new clients and anyone who would have a use for our services.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://gchandlercandles.square.site/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gchandlercandles?igsh=MWg3cHh1cDE4YnBtbg==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GChandlerCandlesGa/
Image Credits
Matthew and Denise Godfrey
