At the Craft and Flea Market in Guilford Cathedral, many small businesses are preparing for the Christmas season quickly approaching. One of the businesses there was Earley and Daughters, an independent candle business. 

Family business Earley and Daughters launched in March of 2020 just as lockdown began. Katie Earley, the founder of Earley and Daughters, was working a full time corporate job all while homeschooling her two daughters and running a business, but in her words ‘when you are doing something you love it doesn’t feel like work at all.’ Katie’s love for candle-making began as a hobby, but her daughters persuaded her to go into business. Along with helping to get the ball rolling, Katie’s daughters manage the business’ social media, which is where a lot of people find their products.

When asked if Earley and Daughters was an eco-friendly business (due to the current climate crisis). Katie replied ‘At the moment we use sustainably sourced soy wax, vegan and cruelty free cosmetic grade perfume oils and natural essential oils. Our glass vessels can be reused or recycled and all our packaging is either repurposed or … can be recycled. We even use biodegradable adhesive on our labels.‘

Katie uses a traditional method with unique essential oils to make her candles, she hand pours them ‘using traditional methods and in incredibly small batches of six’. This technique does take a long time, but it allows her to ‘ensure the quality of every single candle is second to none.’
This is one of the many businesses that managed to thrive, despite the lockdown of 2020, let’s hope their future shines as bright as their candles!

Here is a link to the Earley and Daughters website for more information:
Candles | EARLEY+DAUGHTERS (earleyanddaughters.co.uk)