Bespoke candles
Custom candles for businesses: bespoke creations, made in France
Hotels, restaurants, brands, subscription boxes, agencies and works councils: we design and make fully bespoke scented candles and wax melts, from the fragrance to the label, in our workshop in Loctudy, Brittany.
Every project is unique: quantities, containers, fragrances and lead times are defined with you. We always provide all the regulatory documents needed to sell your products 📜
The essentials for your decision
- Supplier: Les Fondeurs d'Histoires, a craft workshop making scented candles and wax melts, based in Loctudy (29750), South Finistère, France.
- Service: design and production of custom candles and wax melts, white label or co-branded.
- Customisation: fragrance, container, colour, label, engraved lid, packaging, story card and gift box.
- Quantities and lead times: defined project by project, depending on the format, complexity and your launch schedule.
- Documents provided: labelling compliant with the EU CLP regulation, safety data sheets (SDS), and UFI codes when the fragrance requires one.
- Legal framework: a registered French company (SIRET number provided with the quote), covered by professional liability insurance.
- Contact: contact@lesfondeursdhistoires.com, reply within 48 working hours.
Scent marketing, a measurable investment
A brand is seen, heard and read. What it often forgets is that it can also be smelled. And that is probably the most lasting channel.
Stronger recall
Smell is the only sense directly linked to the brain areas of memory and emotion. A scent signature takes root where a logo merely passes by.
An extended experience
A customer who relights your candle at home extends your brand world for weeks, long after their stay, meal or order.
A high perceived value
For the same budget, a handmade custom candle is seen as a thoughtful gift, whereas a classic promotional item often ends up in a drawer.
Everything can be customised, without exception 🕯️
Choose the level of customisation that fits your budget and schedule, from simply dressing an existing fragrance to creating an entirely exclusive one.
The fragrance
Chosen from our existing range, or an exclusive fragrance developed with our master perfumer in Grasse.
The container
Glass, ceramic, coloured or frosted, with a format and capacity suited to your use and positioning.
The label
Designed and printed in the workshop, following your brand guidelines, with all mandatory regulatory information included.
The engraved lid
Laser engraving of your logo or message on a wooden lid, done directly in our workshop.
The brand story
Our added value: we write an original story around your world, printed on a collector's card.
The packaging
Gift box, box, inserts, tissue paper, closing sticker: the unboxing is an integral part of the product.
Wax melts
A light and economical alternative to candles, ideal for boxes, goodies and bulk shipments.
Accessories
Burners, ritual gift sets and complementary items to build a coherent range rather than a single product.
Projects tailored to your sector
- Hospitality: the property's scent signature, an in-room candle, a candle sold in the hotel shop or offered at the end of a stay.
- Restaurants: a consistent dining-room atmosphere, a souvenir sold with the bill, an end-of-year gift for regulars.
- Boxes and subscriptions: an exclusive, distinctive product, in quantities matched to your shipping waves.
- Brands and e-commerce: a white-label range extension, without investing in production equipment.
- Events and weddings: a personalised guest gift, with an engraved message or date.
- Companies and works councils: a gift for staff or clients, more memorable than a standard hamper.
- Shops and concept stores: a range exclusive to your store, on consignment or firm purchase.
- Tourist offices and cultural venues: a scent souvenir of a region or an exhibition.
How a project unfolds, step by step
A single point of contact from the first conversation to delivery. No chain of subcontractors, no middlemen.
The brief
You tell us about your project: goal, target audience, expected volume, budget, launch date and any constraints. We reply within 48 working hours with our first questions and a feasibility assessment.
Creative directions and pricing
We propose several fragrance and visual directions, with a quote itemised line by line: fragrance, container, labelling, engraving, packaging, regulatory documentation and logistics.
Developing the fragrance
If the project includes an exclusive fragrance, we work with our master perfumer in Grasse. Several rounds are usually needed before approval, with samples sent at each iteration.
The prototype
We produce a complete prototype, including container, wax, wick, label and packaging. You receive it, light it and handle it. Nothing replaces the product in your hands.
Burn tests
This is the step rushed suppliers skip, and the one behind most unpleasant surprises. We check wick behaviour, melt pool formation, the absence of tunnelling, cold and hot throw, and colour stability. This phase usually takes several weeks.
Approval and regulatory file
You approve the final product in writing. In parallel, we put together the documentation: CLP labelling, safety data sheets and UFI codes where applicable.
Production and delivery
Pouring, resting, finishing, labelling, individual checks and packing. We keep you updated on progress and agree together on shipping, in a single delivery or staggered deliveries.
Compliance and regulatory documentation 📜
This is often what holds up a custom candle project. With us, it's handled at the quote stage, not after production.
A scented candle is a regulated product. If you sell it under your brand, compliance is your responsibility as the party placing it on the market. So we provide everything you need to sell it with peace of mind.
Labels compliant with the EU regulation on the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures: pictograms, hazard and precautionary statements, declarable allergens and manufacturer details.
We send the SDS for the fragrances used in your production. These are the documents your distributors, insurers and, where relevant, inspection authorities will ask for.
When the fragrance requires one, the UFI code (unique formula identifier, linked to the poison centre notification) is provided and printed on the label.
Every creation comes with usage instructions: first burn, maximum burn time, wick length, placement surface and safety distances.
Our workshop and technical resources 🧰
Everything is done on site
- Hand-pouring, in small and medium batches
- Plant-based wax and fragrances selected in Grasse
- Wicks chosen and tested according to the container diameter
- Labels and cards printed in the workshop
- Precision cutting for labels and cards
- Laser engraving on wooden lids and custom supports
- Individual visual check before packing
Keeping printing and engraving in-house changes everything on a bespoke project: we can fix a detail in a few hours instead of going back through an external supplier and losing a week.
What we don't do
In all honesty, best to say it straight away. We are not an industrial manufacturer: we don't produce tens of thousands of pieces in a few days, and we don't try to.
Our value lies elsewhere: in controlled batch sizes, the level of finish, narrative coherence and a contact person who knows your project inside out. If your project exceeds our capacity, we tell you from the first conversation rather than wasting three weeks of your time.
The 14 making steps, from idea to packaging, are shown in video on our About page 🎬
Our bespoke projects
A few examples of projects we have already supported, each one designed from scratch.
Photos taken in the workshop, with no staging: the candle exactly as it left for Plouider.
Hôtel La Butte in Plouider: a candle that reflects the property
For Hôtel La Butte, a family-run house since 1952 with a Michelin-starred restaurant overlooking the Bay of Goulven, we created a fully bespoke candle. The team chose a fragrance from our range in keeping with the spirit of the house, we designed a label reflecting the property and engraved its logo on a wooden lid, directly in the workshop. This version burns with a wooden wick.
The candles are sold on site, at the hotel: a scented souvenir guests take home that extends their stay long after they leave.
Read the project story (in French)Imagine your bespoke candleThe La Butte project, from first meeting to delivery
- First introductory meeting
- Choosing the fragrance
- Testing phase
- Label design
- Lid engraving approval
- Production
- Final test
- Delivery to the hotel
- Reading box: an exclusive candle designed to echo the world of a novel, with fragrance and visuals developed with the box publisher.
- Creations with a specific world: fragrances built to match a precise imaginary universe, with a dedicated story and collector's card.
- Projects entirely in the client's brand image: from container to packaging, with no mention of our brand when the client wishes.
Some of our projects are covered by confidentiality agreements. We are happy to show you comparable references during a first conversation.
Three levels of customisation
For guidance only, to help position your project. Every quote is tailored case by case.
| Level | What is customised | Development | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dressing | Label and packaging in your image, fragrance chosen from our range | The quickest to set up | Client gifts, events, first market tests |
| Signature | Dressing, specific container, engraved lid and dedicated story card | Intermediate lead time | Hotels, restaurants, shops, premium boxes |
| Exclusive | Fragrance created to order in Grasse, a full range and its own narrative world | The longest, several fragrance iterations | Brands seeking a true scent signature |
Preparing your quote request
The more precise your brief, the faster our reply and the more accurate the price. Here is what's useful to send us.
- Your business, positioning and target audience
- The product's purpose: sale, gift, atmosphere, box, event
- The expected volume, even approximate, and any recurrence
- Your desired launch or delivery date
- The unit or overall budget you have in mind
- Your brand guidelines and logo, if you have them
- Fragrance or visual references you like
- Your constraints: regulatory, logistical or linked to specifications
Frequently asked questions from businesses ✦
Is there a minimum order quantity?
We don't set a single threshold, because our productions are genuinely bespoke. The right volume depends on the level of customisation: simply dressing an existing fragrance can start with small batches, whereas a fragrance created specially in Grasse requires a larger volume to make economic sense. Tell us your target volume and budget, and we'll tell you honestly what is feasible.
What are your production lead times?
They depend on volume, level of customisation and container availability. A dressing project is much quicker than an exclusive fragrance creation, which involves several rounds with the perfumer followed by several weeks of burn tests. We provide a precise schedule with the quote, and we stick to it.
Can you create a completely unique fragrance?
Yes. We work with a master perfumer based in Grasse. We share your world, references and intentions with him, then work in iterations until we achieve exactly the blend you're looking for. This option takes more time and a larger volume, but it gives you a scent signature that belongs to you alone.
Do you provide the regulatory documents?
Yes, always. We provide CLP-compliant labelling, the safety data sheets for the fragrances used and UFI codes when the fragrance requires one. These are delivered with the production and allow you to sell your products in full compliance.
Can we sell these candles under our own brand?
Yes, white label is part of our services. The product can carry no mention of our brand, apart from the legally required manufacturing information on the label. We discuss this at the brief stage to design the labelling accordingly.
Are you insured and registered?
Yes. Les Fondeurs d'Histoires is a company registered in France and covered by professional liability insurance. Our SIRET number, insurance certificate and professional terms of sale are sent with the quote.
Do we receive a sample before production?
Yes, no project goes into production without approval of a complete prototype. You receive the finished product exactly as it will be made, with its container, label and packaging, so you can light and handle it before committing.
Do you also make custom scented wax melts?
Yes, and they are often an excellent option for boxes and bulk shipments: lighter, less fragile and cheaper to ship, while carrying the same fragrance and world as the candle.
Where are the products made?
Entirely in our workshop in Loctudy, South Finistère, Brittany. Pouring, labelling, engraving and packing are all done by hand there. You can say the same to your customers, with proof to back it up.
Do you work with businesses across France and Europe?
Yes, we support businesses throughout France and in much of Europe. Discussions take place remotely and logistics are organised with you, in a single shipment or staggered deliveries as needed.
Let's talk about your project 🤝
Describe your needs in a few lines. We'll get back to you within 48 working hours with an initial feasibility analysis, creative directions and a budget estimate.
Tell us about your project
Collections
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🌬️ Fresh scents
Scented candles & wax melts Some fragrances scent a room.Others feel like...
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🌲 Woody fragrances
Scented candles & wax melts Some fragrances decorate the air.Others give a...
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🌸 Floral fragrances
Scented candles & wax melts Some fragrances decorate a room.Others light it...
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🍯 Gourmand fragrances
Scented candles & wax melts Some fragrances simply smell good.Others comfort you....
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👉 Our best-sellers – Our customers' favourite stories
On the shelves of our workshop, some stories come back more often...
