NaturalAnnie Necessities’ candles are made with love and from high quality non-toxic components at Annie’s studio in Bridgeport, Connecticut. With their playful labels and names, the candles are excellent for girls who know self-care is paramount and don’t hesitate to put money into themselves.
NaturalAnnie Necessities candles are at the moment in over 200 shops throughout the US and Canada and counting. Should you’re occupied with shopping for NaturalAnnie Necessities’ candles wholesale, try their Handshake profile.
This dialog has been edited and condensed for readability.
Handshake: So I might love to listen to a bit bit about your model!
Annie White: We’re primarily a life-style, soy candle firm, and we are likely to create candles for the house which can be enjoyable, extremely aromatic, and smells and names that our clients can relate to. All of our candles are circled round that core, by which when you deliver it into the house, we wish our candle to present you that have like, “Sure, I’m house. That is the place it occurs. That is my completely happy place.”
We weren’t all the time a candle firm. Once we began in 2014, I had the thought of making my very own merchandise; I didn’t have the thought to begin an organization. That was once I had my first daughter, Tiffany. And Tiffany was born with a situation known as Spina bifida, which additionally led into one other situation known as Hydrocephalus, so proper out of delivery, she needed to do a variety of surgical procedures on her backbone on her mind, and once we lastly acquired house, her pores and skin began to interrupt out. In order that led me to begin creating merchandise for her pores and skin, simply to attempt to see what would work to assist to clear up her pores and skin.
That’s once we acquired a breakthrough along with her pores and skin, in order you’ll be able to think about, I used to be very excited. I made one thing, and it labored on my child! So I went again and acquired licensed [in aromatherapy], and we did mixing all through that course, we did product formulation. And that form of simply ramped up every part. I began making every part from family to tub and physique merchandise, skincare. I used to be making a lot now I couldn’t hold all of it. I used to be sharing it with family and friends, they usually had been beginning to just like the merchandise. Somebody had talked about you must put a label on this as a result of that is actually good. In order that’s form of the place the thought of a enterprise began.
Handshake: And from what I perceive, you continued to make tub and physique merchandise, and you then pivoted in round 2016?
Annie: We did a present in Brooklyn at one level and our clients, as a result of we had a physique wash, needed to know if we had candles in these scents, and on the time we didn’t. And there was one other lady there who was promoting candles, and he or she was promoting continuous. So on our manner house, my husband mentioned, “We must always strive candles,” I’m like, “Are you severe? So as to add one other product to all of the issues I’m making proper now?” However we regarded into it and really on that very experience house that night time, we purchased a candle package on Amazon. In a number of days, we began testing and enjoying round with it, seeing how we may make this work. And over time, we form of acquired the proper system for candles, in order that’s how we acquired thrown into the candle house.
Handshake: So what does the enterprise seem like as we speak? Are you continue to figuring out of your kitchen?
Annie: Effectively, you’ve caught me at a extremely fascinating level in our enterprise. Since COVID hit, our gross sales have far more than tripled. So it has compelled us now to seek out manufacturing house. As a result of I began in my kitchen, then we moved to 1 a part of the basement, as a result of we now have a fairly large basement after which we needed to take over the opposite facet of the basement. After which, finally, we added the storage. And I exploit one other room out of my home for my workplace!
Handshake: [Laughing] The place are your daughters sleeping at this stage?
Annie: [Laughing] It’s horrible! Now we have solely the upstairs half for ourselves. So with all the amount that we’ve been getting, we’ve now needed to get a brand new house, so we might be transferring out of the house lastly, on the finish of September into our new manufacturing house, in order that’s thrilling.
Handshake: You’ve acquired so many superb merchandise, the place do you get inspiration for your whole scents?
Annie: Now we have a really lively Instagram account, and once in a while, I’ll throw out a ballot and say, “Hey guys, what are a few of your finest scents for fall?” or “What’s a scent you couldn’t think about dwelling with out?” We get plenty of inspiration from our clients. If I used to be supposed to take a seat right here and take a look at to determine, “Oh my God, what may I probably do for Fall?” – are you able to think about how lengthy that may take me!
Handshake: And also you solely use high quality supplies, similar to vegan American-made wax, is that right?
Annie: We use our soy wax, it’s grown right here within the US, and our fragrances are additionally top-level, prime examined, however they’ve been via the entire testing course of to make sure that they’re secure sufficient for use round individuals within the family.
Handshake: You additionally promote wholesale, is that the place nearly all of your small business is?
Annie: At this level, I’d say it’s 50-50 [between wholesale and the NaturalAnnie Essentials online store]. I feel proper now we’re in over 200 shops within the US and Canada.
Handshake: Do you might have something so as to add about your small business and promoting wholesale that you just would like to share?
Annie: Particularly in the course of the pandemic, it actually confirmed me how small companies working collectively could make an enormous change simply by how the shops rally collectively, how we talk forwards and backwards. It’s simply the nice sense of group that I’ve been in a position to foster with my stockists that has been actually, actually nice. And that retains them coming again and serving to to develop our model whereas persevering with to develop their enterprise.
We’re all the time, all the time searching for new retailers to hitch our staff and to work collectively and usher in these enjoyable scents to our buyer’s house. We do have quite a lot of collections and in addition we provide some personal labelling. So once in a while we’ll have a retailer that desires a selected scent for his or her retailer. They nonetheless carry our candles however they need that one scent that’s simply them that has it. We’re all the time open to try this or collabs with our shops on these.
Handshake: And also you had been telling me earlier as effectively that you just’re about to re-brand NaturalAnnie Necessities?
Annie: I’m so excited to launch that. The model continues to be going to be enjoyable and vibrant. As a younger entrepreneur, while you’re beginning to create a model, you don’t actually take into consideration all of the bits and items that form of go into it. You form of simply put one thing collectively. However now understanding how our clients are and what they’re drawn to, and the colours they’re drawn to, we’re pulling all of that 5 years of expertise and information and pooling it into the refreshed look. So I feel it’s going to be enjoyable. They’re nonetheless going to find it irresistible, nevertheless it’s simply taking it to a more recent stage.
NaturalAnnie Necessities merchandise can be found for wholesale buy from $200. Discover the entire vary of accessible wholesale merchandise on their profile web page.
