Christella Bamureke and Barbara Umuhoza, the co-owners of Lacia’s Scented Candles have always been candle lovers. When they noticed that scented candles on most supermarket shelves were imported, and in most cases never meeting the demand, they chose to invest in the business, they say. They decided to make their own Made in Rwanda, affordable and environment friendly scented candles. Christella Bamureke (L) and Barbara Umuhoza are the co-owners of Lacia’s Scented Candles. Photos/Courtesy Lacia’s Scented Candles have, hence, been in development for over a year and have been on the market since March this year. According to Umuhoza, scented candles are one of the fastest growing segments of the fast moving consumer goods sector, thus providing a business venture that has great growth prospects. She explains that candle manufacturing, a science on its own, calls for scrutiny. “Each day is different. There is no typical day for us, it all depends on where we are at in production chain. Our days are split in manufacturing, production, distribution and customer care,” she says. An affordable luxury The manufacturing of candles apparently consists of three steps: preparation of the wicking, preparation of the wax base and shaping, in addition to extrusion of the finished candles. The procedure can also involve melting the paraffin and pouring it into a mould; here, some can choose to add colours and scents and that this is done while the wax is in liquid form. The candle then takes shape as it cools down. Bamureke enlightens that their particular production of candles requires candle and bee wax, fragrances and wicks. After the production of the candles, you need to have packaging and branding and with a clear marketing plan for the product, she adds. As business partners, Umuhoza and Bamureke consider candles, more so, scented ones, to have the ability to transform any space in a home. Scented candles can be used as decorative items at home and can as well permeate a great deal of class and liveliness into any space. Their candles come in different scents, shapes and sizes. Some of the scents include lemon, lavender, lollipop strawberry and bubbly, among others. She notes that what makes their candles different from others on the market is, first and foremost, the fact that they are made in Rwanda. “They are also handcrafted and positioned to be affordable to the masses. They are an affordable luxury,” she says. Plans for expansion Their business journey so far hasn’t been that harsh, as the entrepreneurs note that they have had overwhelming support from family and friends. “For this particular business, we have had family, friends and customer support that has shown us that our growth is steady and the future is bright,” the duo states. Their production has grown seven fold since their start in March, and are now selling around 100 candles per week, they say. Raw materials are, however, one of the biggest challenges they are facing and that this limits their production and capacity to satisfy the customers nationwide. Another challenge for them is distribution since they are still building a wide distribution network across the country, as they say, adding that they hold plans to ensure their business expands. They are planning to increase the range of products to offer and to also take on distributors within the East African region. “We are open to outside investment because we have noticed that for this business to grow, we need to work with other people. Our plans include establishing a state of the art manufacturing facility which will be the first of its kind in this nation that manufactures candles,” the duo says.
