33 COMPANY PROFILE SERIOUSLY SCENTED Best Kept Secrets has encountered many challenges, but its range of affordable candle products has stood it in good stead to face them head on. Vanessa Curry tells us more… When did you start up and why? Best Kept Secrets has been running since the early ‘90’s. It was originally started by my parents Alan and Denise Edwards, who ran it until I took over some years ago. What prompted you to launch the business? It may have been a ‘mid-life crisis’, but in 1996 my parents decided to leave their corporate careers, to start something new, away from what had been their daily existence for the previous thirty plus years. A very small candle business became available, so with just a few products but no customers, it presented just the challenge they were looking for. What challenges have you overcome since the company’s launch? Best Kept Secrets has faced many challenges. In the early days the first products were wax face masks – in those days The Phantom of the Opera was huge. Business was going ok then disaster struck. At the time the manufacturing unit was on an industrial farm. In 2001 the devastating news came that many farms were subjected to Foot & Mouth disease. Nothing was allowed in or out and pretty much our whole business stopped. We weren’t allowed to send any goods out of the farm. During this time my mum decided to manufacture scented candles in tins and so the Seriously Scented range was born. There were only six products to begin with, unlike the 50 different fragrances we have today. Things were rosy for the next few years, until 2018 my dad broke his neck in a freak accident. Mum became his full time nurse but inevitably retirement beckoned for them both. We are pleased to report that my dad has made a full recovery thanks to the wonderful NHS. It was a tricky time for everyone in the business as we all became settled into our new roles. And then of course, COVID hit. What wasn’t hard about 2021! Business continued to be strong with a huge
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