MEET THE MAKER TESSA LYES

What sparked your interest in candles and how did it develop into a business? I’ve always been a lover of home fragrance and stumbled upon wood wick candles before they had really made it into the New Zealand market. Everyone loves home fragrance and I wanted to build a local, honest and transparent brand with a point of difference: our sustainably sourced, crackling wood wicks.

Where does the name Nevé come from?

Nevé [nee-vei] is the partially compacted granular snow that forms the surface part of the upper end of a glacier. Our brand is inspired by the natural beauty around us in Aotearoa, New Zealand. From our name to our brand colours, our deep blue packaging is inspired by the Southern Lakes with a pop of Alpine white.

What’s involved in creating one of your candles?

My incredible mum Vicki manages the majority of our production. Our candle jars are screen printed by our local printer before being carefully checked, cleaned and prepped for pouring. It’s always an early start on the day of pouring to begin melting wax, with Mum pouring on average around 150 candles in one day. Our 100% natural soy wax is heated, cooled, blended and poured carefully with luxury fragrance oils before being beautifully presented in our signature packaging.

What does your average work day look like?

I wish I had an ‘average’ day, but the honest truth is that working in a small threeperson team and wearing so many hats, each day is so incredibly different!

What’s one thing people may be surprised to learn about handmade candles?

It’s easy to make a good candle, but very difficult to make a great one, especially when working with 100% natural soy wax.

How do you use candles in your home?

I have a ‘few’ candles around the house. My absolute favourite place to burn a candle is beside me while working away in my office. There’s just something about a flickering flame and gentle fragrance to reduce stress levels and put my mind at ease, no matter the size of my workload for the day. neve.co.nz