Gift Focus - Mar/Apr 2019 (Issue 112)

When did the company start, and what were your reasons for setting up the business? It seems so long ago now. Busy Bee Candles was literally started on a kitchen stove in the autumn of 2009. My wife, Denise, and I had been making candles and wax melts as a hobby for some years to feed our addiction to a lovely-smelling home. Friends and family always encouraged us to make it a business, but as we were both in professional positions, it was a big step. The turning point came in early 2009 when we both decided what we really wanted was to work for ourselves. A few business owners saw and smelled our early creations, and pretty much straight away they wanted to buy them! We did a few small local shows, and again the response was positive. We knew we were on to a great product that people would enjoy using. What was your background when you began Busy Bee Candles? Probably as far removed from home fragrance as possible in my case. I am a structural engineer and worked on renewable and nuclear power for a large multinational firm of consulting engineers. Denise worked in marketing for numerous clients. Where are you based? We run Busy Bee Candles from a beautiful smallholding in Mid Wales. surrounded by hills, sheep and horses. It’s a picturesque part of the world and an inspiration for many of our beautiful fragrances. How much has changed since the early days of the business? We started out on a double boiler on a stove top. These days, our waxes are melted down in slightly bigger batches. We now commission bespoke packaging and source the best ingredients from the UK and occasionally overseas, as well as working on original products that we are so proud of. Things have moved quickly in under 10 years. We talk to Haitham Al-Ubaidi at Busy Bee Candles about how far the company has come in the past 10 years Buzzing along giftfocus 23 company profile