I had the soul affirming discussion with someone this week about exactly this topic. They were comparing what they thought was the same product made by someone else to my candles. At first I was really insulted but then I decided to take from the conversation it's intent. It may not have been their intent but it was definitely the universe's intent. The type of wax and the burn time and the price was their only criteria. So soy wax, wood wick, burn time and price. “ It's the same as your candles is it not? “, is what they said to me.
NO....it's not. My soy wax is my special blend of soy that only I have. I perfected it years ago for burn time, quality of burn and scent throw. I think without exaggeration it took me about a year of testing to finally come up with my soy wax. You could take my same oils and put them in someone else's wax and it would work differently....the scent would not be exactly the same and the scent throw would definitely not match. Scent throw is the smell that the candle releases and how many square feet it releases the scent into where you can notice it. I tested over an extended period of time (and still do test burns) to ensure that when I say my candle covers 500 sq ft with scent that it does indeed carry through that amount of space in a way that is not overpowering but noticable in a beautiful way. (ie. my tealight covers 100 sq ft, my small Aurora covers 200 sq ft, my medium Aurora covers 500 sq ft and my large Aurora covers 800 sq ft).
My oils are something that I source and the more established I get, the more that I mix and blend and make my own unique scents that cannot be replicated by others as they are uniquely my own mixes. Put that in combination with my unique wax and we've got a winning combination that cannot be duplicated and is a Hartmont Candle.
My coloring designs are hand painted onto my glass and the design is again the combination of my way of pouring the wax into the container as well as my special wax. The technique will not work with just any glass, wax or container. I know that. Now you do too. It is our brand and incredibly difficult to replicate.
Woodwicks are available in other candle brands in the marketplace as are soy. That is not all that goes into making a Hartmont Candle. My scents, my soy and my craftsmanship go into every candle (hence the insult when this person tried to compare me to someone else). Yes, we are not dollar store candles and yes there may be soy and woodwick candles out there that are cheaper than ours but NONE of them will burn and smell and perform like ours do. You may love another brand and that is fine. But my goal is to have you try mine and experience the difference. It's exactly that difference that has built a grassroots following of fans all over the world who love us and it is that difference that earned us a spot on Granville Island. We are not your ordinary candle company. I hope you get to experience us and decide for yourself.
And what I gained from the conversation was the re-affirmation that it's not just about wax and wicks and scent....it's about me and how exactly I do it that makes us who we are. My best analogy is to think about a Granny who makes the most incredible breads and buns. You can take that exact same recipe and she can show you how to do it but you cannot replicate her incredible results. You may come close but she just has that special touch. That's Hartmont Candles! Our incredible results are an inspiring way for me to look at what I do and hopefully it inspires you to try us or if you already love us, to tell your friends about us so they try us too.
Cheers from Vancouver!
Lana