Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Janeen Kokodynski. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Janeen, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
Koko’s Candles is a small business based in Scottsdale, Arizona that makes luxury all natural soy wax candles. We proudly support the Children’s Heart Foundation.
I always like to share the inspiration that I gained from the journey with my son, Matthew, who passed away after only one short month of life from a congenital heart defect. Since the day he was diagnosed, until the day he passed, and for several years after it has been a motivating factor to honor his life and support the Children’s Heart Foundation.
In 2005 I lost my one-month-old son Matthew to a congenital heart defect. At his funeral, we passed out tiny pewter hearts. These hammered hearts were slightly misshapen and imperfect – just like Matthew’s. When I launched my candle company, I knew that I wanted to incorporate these hearts into my candle line. So, before each candle is poured, a small pewter heart is placed at the bottom. As the candle has burns down, the heart is revealed. Once finished, you may remove the heart and carry it with you to serve as a reminder that you are loved. A portion of the profits from each candle sold is donated to the Children’s Heart Foundation. Visit www.childrensheartfoundation.org to learn more about the cause & ways to get involved.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
It all really began with the lavender candle that I was making for my first business, A Box of Comfort. This is a bereavement gift basket that comforts all 5 senses with gifts representing each sense. The lavender candle, with its calming properties, was used as the gift to represent smell. People really loved this candle and began reaching out to me to ask if they could purchase more of the candles. Given the interest and encouragement I was getting, it felt quite natural to take the next steps to create a full line and open the candle business.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Moving out of my home and into the workshop was a time that I had to pivot. It was literally all three worlds colliding in my business, career and personal life! I began, like many others, by working out of my home. Keep in mind that I was running two product-based businesses. I first dedicated one room of my home for work. That quickly spilled over to a second room. Once I began ordering supplies in bulk, I found it necessary to turn our game room into storage for inventory and when that didn’t hold everything, I began moving things into my son’s room who had just left for college. I was getting by but found that many evenings I would head back to work after dinner instead of spending time with my family relaxing. I finally realized something needed to change when my 6ft 2in son came home from college for the weekend. He had to sleep on a blow-up mattress on the floor of his sister’s room. The sight of him hanging off the mattress crammed between her bed and the closet in his own home just made me shake my head and think “what am I doing to my home and my family?” It was time for me to put on my big girl panties and find a warehouse/workshop space to lease. I took a big step and signed the lease on the property. Within 4 months the space next door also became available, and I took that one as well!
We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.
All of our candles are hand poured in small batches in our workshop in Scottsdale, AZ. Early on I just dabbled in candle making as a fun crafty thing to do with my daughter. I found that I really enjoyed the process, so I decided to make them as gifts one year for friends and family. At this point, I was kind of addicted. The thing is, there is a bit of a science to making a nice candle. Different size wicks, oddly shaped vessels and the type of wax used all play an important role in creating the perfect environment for your candle to produce a nice clean and even burn. I am very health conscious, so in my business I only use the most natural products and prioritize creating the cleanest burning candle. I went through many templates before I finally settled on what we do now. I’m a big fan of trying different things – sort of a spaghetti on the wall mentality to see what sticks. The evolution of the many candles that I have tried is something that I am proud of. They are on display in my office for all to see and I try to never miss an opportunity to share them with others, especially young girls and budding entrepreneurs as encouragement to just keep trying!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kokoscandles.com www.boxofcomfort.com
- Instagram: KokosCandles
- Facebook: KokosCandles
Image Credits
Scott Foust Studios