Candles are a much needed product throughout the year since they are used in many occasions such as birthday parties, weddings, religious activities, funerals and many other functions. As a result, Candle Making Business is not confined to a specific season of the year and therefore enjoys a continuous demand over the year.
Furthermore, Candle as the core product can be differentiated with many features so that you can reach different customer segments catering different customer needs. There are ordinary candles for day today use, floating candles and decorative candles for functions, carved candles, number candles, pillar candles, dinner candles, essential oil candles, scented candle gifts etc. depending on your customer requirement. This extends the candle business into different market segments with different features, quality and therefore with different price tags. One can either cater to the mass market with the ordinary candles or cater a niche market with a unique candle product.
Candle manufacturing being a business of above nature, can be undertaken as a household, micro or small scale business as well as a medium or large scale business.
If undertaken as a small candle making business; household or micro business, you will require a minimal initial capital and minimum technical know-how.
The candle making machinery required for the business and the costs involved would be minimal when you execute the manufacturing process on a manual or semi-automatic basis. You would require only molds of different sizes and shapes. If the business is of large scale, you can use machinery to automate the entire process including molds. The cost involved would vary depending on your required capacity of production.
The required raw materials for a basic candle product are wax for candle making; paraffin wax and candle wicks. Fragrance, colouring, containers, special packing materials and other materials would be required based on the additional features you may add to your core product.
The process of candle making involves very few steps and one does not necessarily require to be specially trained for this task. Besides, the process is also hazard free. The production process starts from obtaining the correct amount of wax, you can measure for the right portion. The next step is to melt the wax and pour it into the mould / mold to which the wick is also attached. Cut the wick, let the wax cool and remove the candle from the mould. The process remains unchanged whether you use the manual production mode , semi-automatic or fully-automatic on a large scale.
Entering, surviving and thriving in a business like Candle Manufacturing is perceived as comparably less hazardous since the manufacturing process and the business operations in its nature involves minimal risk. Unlike producing a food product which involves food safety and concerns over shelf-life, candle business has nothing to worry about these aspects.