Starting a candle business can be an exciting and profitable venture, especially if you private label your candles. Private labeling allows you to work with a manufacturer to create candles with your own custom branding, designs, scents, and more. Here’s a step-by-step guide to launching your own private label candle brand through wholesale.
Select Your Candle Style
The first step is deciding what type of candles you want to sell. Do you want to focus on a specific style like containers, jars, tumblers, pillars, votives, tealights, or taper candles? Or do you want to offer a range of different candle types? Most private label candle manufacturers will be able to produce various styles. Selecting a niche or sticking to just a few candle varieties can help define your brand.
Choose Your Wax, Wicks, and Fragrances
Next, you’ll want to determine the technical components of your candles. What type of wax do you want to use – soy, paraffin, beeswax or a blend? Wax choice impacts burning time, scent throw, and pricing. You also need to select wick sizes and materials based on your candle dimensions. This ensures proper melting and an even burn.
Then comes the fun part – picking your scents! Fragrance oils come in thousands of options from florals to fruits to gourmands. Browse scent catalogs to find fragrances that appeal to your target audience. You can also work with a perfumer to create custom signature scents.
Design Your Candle Packaging and Labels
The look of your candle packaging is key for branding. Work with a graphic designer to create candle labels that represent your business. You’ll also need to decide on containers, lids, bands, boxes, and any outer packaging. Aim for a cohesive look across your entire product line.
Make sure to include essential information like your business name, logo, weight, burn time, warning labels, and fragrance name on your labels. You may also want to tell part of your brand story. For a polished finish, order printed jars, tins, and boxes.
Find a Private Label Candle Manufacturer
Now it’s time to find a company to manufacture your private label candles. Candle makers that offer full-service private labeling will handle production, labeling, and packaging based on your specifications. Be sure to get quotes from multiple manufacturers and ask detailed questions when vetting potential partners.
Key factors to consider are minimum order quantities, production times, container sources, and shipping costs. Only work with reputable manufacturers that follow safety regulations and use high quality ingredients. Check reviews and ask for referrals to confirm reliability.
Buy in Bulk Through Wholesale
To get the best pricing on your private label candles, you’ll want to order in bulk through wholesale. Many candle manufacturers will require minimum order quantities of anywhere from 100 to 500 units per style, especially for first time orders.
While the upfront cost is higher, you’ll save per unit compared to small production runs. Buying wholesale also streamlines ordering, production, and shipping. You can pass the savings onto your customers and offer your candles at a competitive price point.
Market Your New Brand
You put time into creating fantastic private label candles – now you need to sell them! Start marketing your candles several weeks before your expected delivery date. Build up interest through social media, your website, blogs, and email lists.
Create hype by sharing your brand story, candle making process, and product launches. Offer promotions like pre-orders and giveaways. When your inventory arrives, you’ll already have customers waiting to buy.
Sell Through Your Ecommerce Site and Wholesale
The primary way to sell your private label candles is through your own ecommerce website. This allows you to control branding, showcase your products, set pricing, run promotions, and own the customer experience. Digital marketing and SEO are essential for driving traffic and conversions.
For additional sales channels, consider consigning your candles to gift shops and boutiques or applying to sell at craft fairs and markets. You can also expand through wholesale by supplying candles to retailers, hotels, spas, subscription boxes, and corporate gifting.
Launching a private label candle brand takes time, effort, and upfront investment. But the ability to create customized, high-quality candles and control your branding is invaluable. Following the steps above will set you up for success! With passion and smart strategy, your homemade candle side hustle can turn into a thriving business.
