‘Wax, shipping, packaging. Everything is up across the board and we are not where we thought we would be’

Candle company Ivy & Twine was going from strength to strength until the cost-of-living crisis.

Husband and wife Gordon and Georgina Robertson, who are both directors, have worked hard to keep prices down but admit it is a struggle as the cost of supplies keeps rising.

Gordon said: “The cost of living has impacted us massively. Across the board price averages have gone up 20 to 25%.

“One of our biggest issues has been getting our wax, which we can only get from the US, and obviously shipping costs have gone through the roof.

“There’s also been a huge increase in the cost of packaging as there is a shortage of cardboard because people weren’t recycling it properly over the pandemic.”

Ivy & Twine creates quality candles which are shipped across the country. Gordon said: “We have had to work really, really hard against a huge plethora of supply chain issues to get our prices to stay the same.

“Because of this we are not quite where we thought we would be.

“We thought that, as the business grew, we would be able to make better margins but that has not been the case.”

Although Ivy & Twine has managed to not raise prices, the couple have had to consider cancelling future business plans.

Georgina said: “We have had to re-evaluate our growth plans, and we are trying to weigh up what the right thing to do is. Unfortunately, we don’t have a crystal ball.

“The cost-of-living crisis has made us re-evaluate bringing in another brand to the company. We have got an idea in place but I am not sure if it is something that would be responsible for us to do.

“It’s a Catch-22, because if we do decide to bring it in it might be good for the long-term but it‘s a huge amount of money to try and get it off the ground.”