N.B. entrepreneur burns candle at both ends – by producing lots of candles at home

NB woman’s homemade candles are in high demand Savannah Simmons’ homegrown candle company has her burning the candle at both ends – to keep up with demand.

FREDERICTON — These days, Savannah Simmons has been burning the candle at both ends.

"Whenever you're doing 900 candles, it can't be done in one day, it's two- to three-week process," Simmons said.

The Home & Co started as a hobby for Simmons. Now, she's making almost a thousand wooden wick candles a season in her one-bedroom apartment.

"When the pandemic hit, it was just something to do, and whenever I began it wasn't something I thought was going to blow up and become huge, as it is now but it's definitely a blessing in disguise," she said.

Savannah's homemade candles are in seven stores throughout New Brunswick.

And the orders keep coming.

The 24 year-old has sent orders to Toronto and as far as Winnipeg.

Simmons is a member of Pabineau First Nation and was mentored through the Joint Economic Development Initiative, or JEDI, a company that fosters Indigenous entrepreneurs.

"My chief came up to me in Pabineau in July, and he just told me about this program that would give a lot of knowledge and insight into business and he said 'you should really enroll yourself in this,'" Simmons said.

Simmons, whose full-time job is as an educational assistant, one day hopes to move candle production out of her apartment.

"The long-term plan is to expand into a lot of local stores around Canada but also use an online page so we have a Shopify page where people can go and purchase our candles online," she said.

For now, you can place order online, from wherever you may be.