Meet the supplier: The artisan Cornish brand crafting our home fragrances
We’re continuing to share a behind-the-scenes look at where our products are made and the partnerships that bring them to life.
This season, we’re shining a light on the independent Cornish brands that we’re proud to call our suppliers. Based in the heart of North Cornwall, St Eval craft our scented candles and room diffusers in evocative fragrances inspired by our shared Cornish home.
We caught up with Joanne Shalders, Customer Operations Manager, to find out more about St Eval and why they love working with us.
Hi Joanne! Can you tell us a bit about St. Eval?
St. Eval was born from humble beginnings, on a family farm in the heart of North Cornwall. We’ve been perfecting the art and science of candle making for over 28 years. We fuse the mindful practice which comes with producing the finest quality candles, finished by hand, with innovative technology to maintain the high standards for which we are renowned.
As a company, our commitment is to “tread lightly on the environment” and this follows through to all areas of the business. We were so proud to be honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development earlier this year.
We’ve worked incredibly hard to build a business that is mindful of the planet and as sustainable as possible, so we were thrilled to have our efforts and passions recognised in this way. We are also the first-ever candle manufacturer to achieve this award, which makes it even more special for us.
How do you make candles and diffusers for Seasalt?
There are three main methods we use to produce our candles. These are drawing, moulding and pouring. Each one of these methods requires great skill and craftmanship to master.
Moulding is the method used to produce our majestic pillar candles (over 2.5” in diameter) and multiwicks, where wax is gently poured into moulds, left to cool and then gradually topped up.
Pouring is the method used to produce our pots, tins and tealights, where the wick is fixed to the base of the vessel and wax gradually poured in. The fragrance runs through every single drop of wax in our scented candles, so that you can enjoy your favourite scents until the very last moment.
Lastly, we have two incredible drawing machines which produce all of our dinner candles and pillar candles up to 2.5” in diameter. These machines are a triumph in efficient, traditional manufacturing, and work by gently pulling the cotton wicks through molten wax in a figure of eight motion until the desired diameter is achieved. These candles are then taken off the drawing machine onto long tables to be cut and then milled by hand, before being delicately packed into their boxes. All of our candles are made with a personal touch with specialist hand-finished features.
How has the range of products you make for us grown since our partnership began?
We’ve worked with Seasalt for over 4 years. Throughout that time, the products we’ve made have changed and adapted in line with the brand and customer needs. We’ve produced tin candles, tealights and moulded candles in the past, but this year focused on elegant glass candles and diffusers in a frosted bottle with intricate designs.
What do you like about working with us?
We have a wonderful working relationship with everyone at Seasalt. Everyone we have had the pleasure of working with is truly lovely and incredibly creative; their passion shines through in all that they do.
As a fellow Cornish brand, we’d love to know how the coastal home we share inspires your products and work.
The beauty of Cornwall shines through in everything we do. Our unique fragrances, wax blends and pot styles are all inspired by nature and the Cornish landscape that surrounds us.
Our factory in Engollan is down peaceful country lanes adorned with wildflowers and the striking blue sea on the horizon – every day we are reminded of the natural beauty we are lucky to be surrounded by. We are committed to helping to protect this, both locally and on a wider scale.
When we surround ourselves with scents from nature, we can evoke wonderful feelings, helping to improve both wellbeing and happiness. At St. Eval, we work hard to create collections and fragrances to help create special moments and spark happy memories – that is the true essence of a St. Eval candle.
What is it that makes your partnership with Seasalt special?
Our partnership with Seasalt is made more special by being a fellow Cornish brand. Both St. Eval and Seasalt are focused on high quality and sustainable products and so working together is a joy; it’s great to collaborate with likeminded companies on the same page.
Being local, it’s great to be able to have the chance to work closely together in person as well, inviting the team to visit the factory and get a true sense of what goes on behind the scenes in the making of their candles and diffusers. As well as this, all of Seasalt’s fragrances are beautiful – there isn’t a single one we don’t love!
Can you tell us more about your commitments to sustainability and how this influences the products you create?
Being based on a working farm, we are acutely aware of just how important the environment is and how vital it is that we all look after it.
This awareness leads us to invest heavily in renewable energy, with the installation of Solar PV, Biomass Boilers and a Wind Turbine all here on site as a direct result. This helps keep our emissions low and carbon footprint at a minimum, as well as taking care of the environment and being at the forefront of the latest technology and processes.
Sustainability is at the forefront of our focus and ultimately this influences all of our products – new and existing. Last year, we undertook an audit to understand how much plastic we needed to remove from our lines to becoming plastic free. We set ourselves a target and have worked tirelessly to innovate and adapt products in line with this. We are now well ahead of meeting our target with the recent introduction of bio-wrap for our Christmas pillars and multiwicks and recyclable kraft packaging for our tealights.
Check out St Eval at st-eval.com or on Instagram
Our home fragrances make lovely gifts for all occasions – discover the full collection here.