Mitch Underwood and Dan Kim were sitting at a bar four years ago hanging out when a light bulb went off. The duo noticed that the bar was throwing lots of glass away and learned that less than 20% of glass from Ohio businesses actually gets recycled due to the heavy weight and costly removal. They decided that they could not only do something about that, but could build a business around it. Thus, Candle with a Cause was born.
The company salvages glass from area businesses, converts the bottles into unique candles, sells them for a profit, and gives a portion of the proceeds back to the community through specific nonprofit partnerships. The candles were first sold at farmers markets and retail events and has more recently grown to include wholesale accounts, boutique resellers and through their online store.
“We started in Dan’s basement, then it moved to Dan’s garage, then it evolved to the back of Eartha Limited’s warehouse,” explains Underwood about the steady growth of Candle with a Cause. “Then it grew to half of a warehouse in Franklinton, and after a year there, we moved to the East Side right next to the Actual Brewing Company, which is obviously awesome.”
During that time, Candle with a Cause has also redesigned the look of the products and rebranded the business. Underwood says that they streamlined their look to focus on the most important aspects and components: the cosmetic-grade soy candle wax, the post-consumer bottle, and the nonprofit beneficiary.
“Now that we understand that, we can give the consumer what they want,” he says. “Keeping it simple and offering the best damn candle that exists.”
In 2015, Candle with a Cause will continue to grow into markets outside of Columbus, starting with Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Chicago. They plan to also partner with five or six nonprofits in each city, with a goal of tapping into every major market in the US.
“We now offer one-time runs of candles for smaller nonprofits or organizations to sell at their events to raise money, and we can also do custom-labeled candles for the wedding industry,” says Underwood on their growing range of services. “The newest of our ventures is making custom labeled candles for other independent brands.”
For more information on Candle with a Cause, visit www.candlewithacause.com.