Today is a big day ! We are going into production of our candle 04. After months of development and discussion, it has finally come to life in Cugand - a small town not far from Clisson, a good hour's drive from Nantes. After leaving Paris early in the morning, the team arrived in this magnificent village, full of pretty houses overlooked by the Notre-Dame church. We take some time visiting, it's too beautiful not to !! After a quick lunch in the heart of nature, overlooking a river, we go with Gwenaëlle to see the making of our candles.
When we arrive in front of the Bougie La Française workshops, we put the glam aside, it's time to gear-up with protective shoes and clothing. Wow. Impressive ! Aluminum tanks, kilometers of pipes which transport the wax mixes to each station. Each wick is waxed and cut according to the size of the container. There are forty different wicks, and their use depends on the perfume, the type of wax… it’s quite an art!
There are about ten workstations where busy hands are working on different products. It was impossible to miss ours, our candles smelled for miles around ... Smoked black tea, mugwort and birch. We can assure you, it's intense! A captivating, hypnotizing atmosphere hovers around us - this is where the magic happens. We were completely captivated by the rhythm of Françoise and Alexandra's hands. The first step involves gluing the wick to the bottom of the glass so that it stays still when the wax is poured. The glue dries very quickly. Then, make way for the wax! The hot liquid wax is mixed with the fragrance, then poured into each glass. The wax cools in the open air for about fifteen minutes following a circuit. Stéphanie readjusts the wicks which tend to shift slightly while cooling.
Now for the second layer of wax: when the wax cools it drops - so to have a nice, smooth candle, we need an extra centimeter of wax.
Once the candle is ready, Alexandra sticks the label on the front of the glass, exactly 2.5cm from the edge! Then, the box is assembled by hand and the candles are stored inside. Voilà, they’re ready! They head directly to Chartres where they are stored in our warehouse (a few hours from Paris) and finally they arrive at your place!
Ah yes, we almost forgot! Before each production, a tester is manufactured and burned to check that everything is in order. This ensures that there’s no problem with the burning, the fragrance comes out well, the wick doesn’t turn to charcoal ... a very meticulous quality control process to make sure that your candles will be perfect!
We almost lost half of our team – they all wanted to settle in Clisson!
