The Best Candles in the World are Coconut Wax
A short (and true) story and review about the Coconut Candle Company
I met Matt long before the Coconut Candle Company.
We were both Canadians (who lived thousands of miles apart), but attending trade shows during springtime in Arizona was practically a vacation (so we both did that as much as possible). That is how we initially met, and it quickly became a tradition to chat and drink together at the conventions between working deals and potential clients every year (Moscow Mules were popular).
One day, I was death-scrolling Facebook and noticed a random post about candles, which seemed out of place as I was not a connoisseur. I was surprised to realize it was posted by my friend Matt, suddenly the CEO of the Coconut Candle Company. It featured a pumpkin pie candle — a smell and food that I love so much that I couldn’t help but comment on the post. When Christmas rolled around, a package arrived from Matt with my very own pumpkin pie coconut wax candle.
I didn’t even know you could make wax from a coconut.
It was modern and subtle, unassuming and simple-looking. I lit it up as soon as possible, and it cast that lovely pumpkin pie smell really well. It served its purpose as a housewarming gift, quite literally.
It remains the best candle I have ever owned.
When we got together most recently, it was at the height of COVID. At his home, we enjoyed great Nepalese takeout, and I got a first-hand look at the heart of the start of the Coconut Candle Company.
A serial entrepreneur at heart, Matt always threw himself into whatever he was doing at the time. Focus leads to excellent execution, after all. One thing was clear, Matt lives and breathes candles, but that was not according to plan.
It wasn’t actually Matt who started the Coconut Candle Company; it was a close friend. He would help out when possible, but when that friend grew tired of the business and wanted to move on, Matt took it over himself.
The operation had completely taken over his home. Pouring equipment adorned the walls. Batches of candles were in various stages of completion. Inventory was perfectly sorted and ready to ship, and packing materials were abundant, with a large popcorn apparatus hanging from the ceiling.
Matt took me through the process of making the coconut wax candles, showing me the different stages. Even though he had never intended to be in the candle business, with the torch passed, each candle is still made with love and dedication.
At one point, I noticed a portable dishwasher in an odd location, the result of one of his earliest candle-making mistakes. The company uses many unique scents you won’t find anywhere else. To keep up with demand and be more efficient, he had attempted to wash some pouring equipment in the household dishwasher. But those scents that make the Coconut Candle Company so unique had thoroughly permeated his dishwasher and everything in it. Now, everything is washed in that standalone unit because, as lovely as fresh popcorn smells, nobody wants to eat off forks and plates that taste like it.
Dedication to quality is everywhere, starting with the wax itself. Most candle companies don’t use coconut wax because it is expensive and more challenging to source. That disadvantage is The Coconut Candle Company’s biggest advantage.
Paraffin wax is most common in mass-produced candle companies, not because it is good but because it is cheap.
As a byproduct of petroleum refining, paraffin wax (also known as liquid paraffin, paraffin oil, or kerosene) is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid burned as fuel. When you burn candles made of paraffin, you release hydrocarbons and toxins directly into your home. The emissions that escape your home are the same as those that lead to climate change.
Not that the minute amount of hydrocarbons from a single candle would impact climate change in a meaningful way, but the millions that are burned annually around the world most certainly do.
On the other hand, coconut wax is cleaner burning, smoke and soot free, comes from renewable sources, sustainable, and eco-friendly. The wax throws scents better, enjoys longer burn time, and is a healthier option for you, your home, and your family (if you’re into that sort of thing).
I just like how they smell. The rest is just a bonus.
Near the end of our visit, after learning about his new business and the usual meandering and conversation about what was new in our lives (and the usual nostalgic ponderings of years gone by), I noticed an eclectic collection of candles on a shelf.
“Those are the duds,” Matt informed me, “Take this one. It’s our most popular.”
Once he placed it in my hands, I immediately searched for the defect. I took off the lid and looked at each side. It looked perfect to me — until I flipped it over. There was a small dent on the bottom, to which I asked, “That’s it? That little dent?” He nodded.
While I am sure my long-time friend would have given me any candle my heart desired, he refused to ship this one because of the slightest defect. Most candle companies would have tossed it into a shipping box without a second thought.
I was more than happy to take that “Fuzzy Peach” scented candle home, and in a way, the defect made it more special than the others. He also sent me some treats for my kids and the long drive home: a bag of candy hearts leftover from a recent Valentine’s Day-themed photo shoot.
Within a few weeks of coming home, my family came down with COVID for the first time. We were sick for months, and as careful as we were (and we worked from home), my kids repeatedly came down with the illness. My oldest daughter was ultimately hospitalized and was almost admitted to the ICU one night. The candle was forgotten about in the chaos of everyday life.
So when I rediscovered it and lit it up, the room slowly filled with peach. I was reminded of all the years we had been friends, the drinks we had, the food we had eaten, and the years that had passed since we last saw each other.
Even the smallest gifts are sometimes more powerful than we give them credit for.
Matt never once asked me to write a story, a review, or to “like” anything on Facebook. But I promised myself years before that I would make the time to tell the world how much I loved that little coconut candle because what goes around comes around. And here we are.
While his former partner started the mission to make a better candle, and Matt had inherited the business unintentionally, his dedication to quality and superior customer service is intentional. Perhaps the Coconut Candle Company is making the world a little better, too.
You won’t find any affiliate links or promo codes here (because Matt doesn’t even know I’m writing this), but if you would like one for yourself or someone you care about, you’ll find them at CoconutCandleCo.com.
There’s even a “Sorry” candle when your poops don’t smell like roses. It doesn’t get more Canadian than that!
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