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Selling
and Marketing Candles (Part 1)
These days
candle makers are faced with a myriad of factors in producing candles
in a production environment. These factors apply to any type of burning
candle including paraffin wax, gels and natural waxes. The purpose of
this article is to examine this in three distinct processes or channels.
This should not be viewed as a business plan or model, but more from the
perspective of guidance on producing candles that are high quality and
safe.
The first issue you face is with the raw materials, ensuring that the
cost, quality and availability of the materials used to make your candle
are consistent. The second issue is the capability of selling the finished
product at a competitive price and how to select your proper market. The
final step--which is the topic of this first article--is consumer acceptance
and safe use of your candle.
For many reasons, it is critical that we not assume candle users know
the proper way to burn a candle. It is critical that each and every candle
that you sell has a set of burning instructions on the candle. This is
viewed as so important that the National Candle Association and the Consumer
Product Safety Commission are in the process of developing standards which
all candle burning instructions must meet.
The candle burning instructions must have critical performance information
such as the "wick must be trimmed to 1/4," "never leave debris in the
candle" and "burn time associated with each candle" (generally this is
four hours). The candle burning instructions must also identify safety
measures such as "never leave a burning candle unattended," "candle must
be placed on heat resistant surface" and "keep young children and pets
away from burning candles." The candle burning instructions must also
be placed in an area where they may be read very easily by the consumer.
The most common method is placing the candle burning instructions on the
bottom of the candle. Any unique feature which encourages the consumer
to read the instructions for burning the candle is recommended.
However, even the best candle burning instructions will not assist if
the candle is not produced using the correct components and products.
While there are a plethora of issues here, you can start by ensuring that
you are using
1. the proper wick size for each application,
2. the correct sustainer base (jars, containers and tins), if applicable,
3. the proper combination of waxes (including gel and natural) with fragrances,
and
4. no flammable products in the burning area of the candle.
After this, you will want to ensure that you have a detailed knowledge
of how your candle will perform under different scenarios.
It is imperative that every candle you manufacture meets all of the safety
criteria you have developed. If you require any assistance on this please
do not hesitate to contact any of our Representatives. Remember safety
must always come first.
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