Light the way

A NZ candle brand is made with love by a crew of young adults with Down syndrome and disabilities.

Downlights is a New Zealand owned and operated fragranced soy candle company that manufactures luxury candles using artisanal techniques. Its candles are lovingly hand poured and the entire manufacturing process supports the development of a variety of workplace skills and offers employment opportunities for young adults with Down syndrome and intellectual or learning disabilities.

The business was co-founded in 2018 by managing director Jennifer Del Bel and father and daughter Tony and Emma Sykes. The idea came about after Tony struggled to find a job for his daughter Emma, 23, who has Down Syndrome. Emma had always loved candles so he connected with Del Bel at Illumina, a luxury candle brand in Auckland. She suggested that Emma join her at the Illumina workshop to learn some skills, and Downlights was born.

The Downlights tagline ‘illuminate-care-change’ amplifies their dream to set an example for other employers in NZ. They aim to light the way by creating jobs and showing care as a community through offering opportunities to and empowering people with disabilities. They hope this will pave the way for change that leads to greater acceptance for people with disabilities to be placed and valued in today’s growing workforce.