My Living Light Journey – 20 Years
My Living Light journey began on February 28th 1998 in a converted pottery studio on my property in Golden Bay. I am still as passionate today as I was 20 years ago making my first candle.
I immigrated to NZ in 1984 with a clothing design business and later designed knitwear for Alliance Textile under the “Cynthia Helene” brand. My love for a man and Golden Bay was the catalyst for my next adventure and Living Light.
My background in fashion design and passion for creating beauty was at the core of the candle development. And Golden Bay has been the perfect setting and inspiration to set up a candle business.
With a small investment, one employee, a very eager sales rep and a lot of drive, the business doubled in size the second year and so the challenges of production did too.
Self taught and determined, the Internet and later Google, was my candle-making/business bible. Candles are more challenging to produce then one would imagine. Easy to make one, but to handmake 100 at a time over and over again is another world.
Twenty years later I can honestly say it has been worth all the trials and tribulations. Now with a dedicated team of 10 staff making over 800,000 candles and home fragrance offerings, production is in a re-purposed abattoir at 34 One Spec Road, Kotinga, just behind the township of Takaka.
Sticking to quality handmade and employing locals has been important to me from the onset. To make the business sustainable as New Zealand handmade, has taken years to create efficient production methods and create a great team of people.
When I walk through the factory doors today, I feel a sense of gratitude for each and everyone who works at Living Light. Their commitment, attitude, skill level, work ethic and teamwork creates a positive working environment, resulting in a beautiful product offering to our customers.
This year we won a Gold Award for our packaging of our new Dream Collection and we were a finalist for the Australian Life In Style – Body, Bath, & Fragrance Award.
Our candles are made of natural plant and beeswax or pure soy. Our home fragrance range is made with the finest fragrances sourced from around the world. We also offer an essential oil Well-Being Range, which includes magnesium bath salts; the best for a good night’s sleep!
Each candle and home fragrance offering is still handmade. I feel happy in my heart to remain a New Zealand-made natural and sustainable company of candles and ambient products bringing beauty, light and scent to the world.
Jude Biggs
Manager
Living Light Candles
Nelson Store
03 546 7561
This Post Has 0 Comments