Candles with a conscience
What started as school trip fundraiser has become successful business
It started with two teenaged girls dreaming about Greece but has ended with results that have been out of this world.
Sixteen-year-old twins Janie and Lauren Noel of Kentville say everything stemmed from them reading and falling in love with the Percy Jackson series which is based around Greek mythology. From then on, the Grade 11 students at Northeast Kings Education Centre (NKEC) dreamed of travelling to Greece, so when their school organized a trip there in 2022, they were the first to sign up.
Because of COVID-19, fundraising opportunities were limited, says Lauren, and so they had to think of another way to raise money to make their dream come true. This is when the idea of making candles came to mind.
Starting in February 2021, the Noels began researching and experimenting, and finally, in August, Noel & Co. was launched.
CANDLES WITH A CONSCIENCE
“We decided right from the start that we wanted to create candles with a conscience,” explai ns Lauren. “This meant choosing only suppliers who shared our same values and commitment to natural, quality materials.”
Great care goes into choosing every element of the candle from the wax, wick, fragrance, and vessel. Our goal was to create products that were simple, and used only clean ingredients, she says. That’s why the entire collection is vegan, cruelty-free, phthalate-free, and paraben-free.
The Noels chose virgin coconut soy wax because it burns slowly and is biodegradable, clean burning, renewable and non-toxic.
“We think we may be the only candle company in the province using this option,” says Lauren.
They also chose to use wooden wicks, not only for their amazing crackling sound, but because they are ecofriendly and clean burning as well.
“We are often asked if the wick is made of real wood, and the answer is yes,” explains Lauren.
All the wicks are handcrafted using only 100 per cent certified natural wood from sustainably sourced sappy fruit trees.
Even the labels were consciously chosen to be as earth friendly as possible, she says. They are made with 50 per cent sustainable hemp, and 50 per cent post-consumer recycled material.
To learn how to make their candles, the twins say YouTube became their best friend. They also joined several Facebook groups dedicated to candle making.
“Those platforms were invaluable because we could ask questions to experienced candle makers, and draw on their knowledge,” says Lauren.
Besides all this, they read a lot, and experimented even more. They devoted several hours each week to learning, and called those their “PD Days,” and really treated it like a job.
Other than candles, Noel & Co. also makes linen sprays, reed diffusers and bath salts. Candles, however, are truly their bread and butter, and what they enjoy making the most, she says.
FAMILY AFFAIR
The business, says Lauren, would not have been possible without their family helping behind the scenes.
Their mom has been their biggest support, she says, and has been there to help with everything from branding, photography, social media and more. She also loves coming to help at the markets. Really, the only thing she refuses to do is actually pour the candles themselves, Lauren says.
Additionally, their grandmother is also a huge support, and is often there rolling up her sleeves to help prep and label jars.
“It truly has become a family affair, which has only made us love running this company even more,” says Lauren. “We’re beyond fortunate to have such talented and hardworking family members here to help guide us, and we really value how much it’s brought us together.”
SEEING SUCCESS
Right from the start, the business has been a huge success.
When they launched the business in August, they had 250 candles in inventory, with the hopes of selling them all by Christmas.
“The running joke in our house was we were either paying our way to Greece, or we were going to have a candle supply for life,” says Lauren.
Instead, they sold out within the first two weeks, and were completely shocked.
Then, retailers far and wide started contacting them wanting to carry their products.
Six weeks after launching, the teenagers had a Zoom meeting with an executive in Toronto, to discuss having their candles carried at Chapters Indigo. The timing wasn’t right, says Lauren, and it didn’t work out, but this was a huge moment.
Now, they have more than 2,000 Instagram followers, which they consider another great accomplishment because
they didn’t have their own social media accounts before this and had to ask their younger brother how to post for the first time.
“Social media was definitely one of our steepest learning curves, so we are completely blown away by all the online support,” says Lauren.
BALANCING SCHOOL AND WORK
For two shy, inexperienced, and extremely introverted girls, Lauren says they have already accomplished and learned so much.
The first is learning that making candles is actually only a small part of running a candle company, she says.
“You must wear so many hats and it can be overwhelming. Not only are you making product, but you are also selling, marketing, counting inventory, picking and packaging orders, answering customer questions, updating the website, developing future products, and much more. The list is almost endless.”
They each have their roles. “We really do allow each other to put our talents and strengths where we feel most comfortable, and that makes for a happy partnership.”
Janie takes the lead in the front, while Lauren is happy working behind the scenes, doing the communication.
Time management is without a doubt the most challenging part of running this business, adds Lauren. She says they set aside time six days a week to work on the business, and always try to give themselves one day off a week.
“We also try to maintain boundaries, like not answering customer emails during school hours,” she says.
Fortunately, this business also counts towards school credit. Because they are both part of the co-op program at school, it means they need to complete a certain amount of work placement hours to graduate. Because of the experience they are gaining by being entrepreneurs, the school agreed to allow these hours count towards credit.
“Thank goodness, too, because we don’t know how we would have fit it all in otherwise,” she says.
GIVING BACK
On top of everything they are doing and learning, the Noels are also finding a way to give back to the community through the Kidney Foundation of Canada.
Lauren was born in advanced kidney failure, and when she turned 13, she had her first transplant. When that failed, she had to undergo a second transplant only a few short months later. This gave her her life back, she says.
“My family and I have so much gratitude for my donors, and for Dr. Acott and his team at the IWK,” she says.
As a result, they have always been longtime supporters of the Kidney Foundation, and when they started the business, they saw it as an opportunity to give back even more by donating two per cent of their proceeds to help them with their work. To date, they have donated $1,200 to the foundation.
In the future, Lauren says they would love to grow the business, as they are so passionate about it. There will be challenges navigating the business and going to university but they are confident they will find a way to work it out.
“The ultimate dream would be to have a storefront and workshop, but perhaps not until we’ve finished our education,” she says.
As for their dream of going to Greece? It’s still on. The school trip was cancelled due to COVID-19, so they are now planning for a trip on their own once travel restrictions are lifted. Not only have they raised enough money for the trip, but they can now afford to bring our mom and nana along with them, adds Lauren.
Their next goal is to save for university.