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StanfordP

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StanfordP last won the day on August 23 2023

StanfordP had the most liked content!

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    oldcitycanningco.com

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    Philadelphia, PA

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    Candles

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  1. Yup agreed! Do you know anything about the process for how fragrance companies in the US develop/source their fragrances? From what I understand, CandleScience, for example, would develop a formula based on various aromachemicals, then source them from a fragrance company to make the ultimate product. So even though CandleScience is making the finished good, the ingredients come from the fragrance manufacturer. Is that on track? And now that my wheels are turning; a similar scenario seems to have happened with wax...
  2. Hey ya'll -- been a while since posting. I never mentioned this on the message board, but in addition to running my candle company, I'm also a lawyer. Recently, news has come down that the big fragrance manufacturers are under investigation internationally for price collusion--that possibly explains why fragrance prices have gone up so much the past few years. I'm investigating the impact of these big manufacturers on smaller entities like: candle supply companies (ex: Aztec, CandleScience, LoneStar, etc), and then indirectly on candle companies (like all of us) and the end consumer. Does anyone know if there's a way to determine where candle supply companies get their fragrance materials from, and whether it's from an international brand (Givaudan, Firmenich, IFF, or Symrise)? Feel free to chime in or message me directly! Or if you've personally experienced price increases on fragrance oils, curious to get your thoughts. Thanks, Stanford
  3. Assume you’re referring to night blooming Jasmine, which is a completely different smell from day blooming jasmine (there are plenty of jasmine varieties, most with distinct smells). Night is softer, cooler and has more of a spring bulb essence (like smelling a narcissus or hyacinth). Whereas common jasmine (e.g., star) is sweeter and more typical floral.
  4. Palo santo oil is tough. It’s such a light woodsy scent that it’s very difficult to replicate in a candle. Best best is to blend your own. Although… the palo santo from cierra candle was quite nice. Definitely most authentic ( but again, very light).
  5. Kinda shocked State Farm would cover a candle company. Last I inquired, they wouldn’t. If you’re worried about getting sued, you should make sure you have products liability coverage… don’t see that on this quote. I’m no insurance expert, but general liability and products liability are two different animals.
  6. Yep. Advise against it. The jars were gorgeous. Performed well too. BUT, you’ll likely notice that upon reordering, the price jumps up. Plus I’m fairly certain my CC number got stolen. It’s just super risky. But in the current landscape, do what you gotta do.
  7. Gotcha. Don’t do the non-profit. HIGHLY scrutinized by every governmental agency you can think of, including the IRS. If you want to be charitable, form the LLC and make charitable donations, which if part of your mission is to support your community, you can write off as an advertising expense (though consult your CPA for specifics). You can also look into B-Corps (benefit corporation), which is a hybrid approach to for-/non-profit. Basically, for-profit for the public benefit… also depends on where you live and whether your state recognizes it as an official entity type.
  8. It's been a minute since I was doing pure coconut wax, but agree it's tough to wick. I liked the results of premier, but you'd have to cut the size in half for what you use on soy. CDs were okay, too. Didn't try much with CDN. Definitely avoid ECO.
  9. @Brotato Mind me asking why you'd start a business as a non-profit?
  10. @SageSlowdive Late to the thread, but having studied intellectual property a decent bit, I'll throw in my two cents. Any image that you find on the internet is copyrighted. The only way around this is if you obtain the owner's permission--even if you subscribe to a service, you're still obtaining a license to use that image for a limited purpose (called a "limited license"). Under certain circumstances, you can use copyrighted material without permission (google 'fair use'), but for commercial purposes, you likely will always need permission first. Best suggestion is to find what you want and use as inspiration to create something new, but even copying likeness is crossing a line.
  11. Updates on the coconut brew wax. I purchased it last year when I called C&S looking for the coconut beads. They SWORE brew was superior to the beads and better in every way. So, I bought 20 cases. Fast forward to winter, and all the candles previously poured using brew started seeping. A lot of my customers got pissed off, actually lost a large customer. We had to re-pour cases of product. Come to find out later, C&S posted their warning about cooler temps. I thought my employees were messing up formulas. Now presently, even in the middle of summer, we're STILL dealing with seepage. We've tried everything (except adding coconut oil--terrible idea). Trying to work through the last remaining cases of coconut brew and move on. Total disappointment on every level, though we've now got it tweaked enough to get by. But there are variations in performance depending on FO. Highly frustrating.
  12. @LilyJane You can also try Norman's Printery in New Jersey. I believe their minimum is 100 vessels, but that's more expensive. They do packaging for a lot of candle makers in the area.
  13. I started including candle care on the box. So when I customer opens the lid, the first thing they see is candle care. All the usual stuff, plus how to prevent tunneling AND estimated burn times if they "follow the rules." In reality, who looks at the warning sticker on the bottom? Practically no one.
  14. I recently stumbled upon the fruit wrap cushioning (no idea what it's really called). Only downside is that it's Styrofoam--I was really trying to to eco-friendly Was tired of jars breaking despite using paper cushion, despite using packing peanuts. So now, every glass container that goes out the door is wrapped in this then placed in a box, THEN packaged with peanuts, and God speed!! Broken containers were killing me with sending replacements (I don't give refunds)
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