Collaboration Partners' Story - BeCandle #1

• Posted on 12 July 2023
• By TL
• 0

Start from Sai Kung

BeCandle is a well-known crafted candle brand borne of Sai Kung. The quality assurance and the story of “Made in Hong Kong” gained the brand many opportunities of collaboration with others over the past 7 years. The origin of the brand story lies in Sai Kung. “I grew up in Sai Kung,” said Xavier, founder of BeCandle. “My family and I have been living here since my grandfather’s generation”.

Xavier himself is a product designer. Making candles was his hobby and he naturally chose it as his creative medium when he planned to start up his own brand. Xavier reached out to some perfumers who aided him in making scented candles. He started out making candles at home, and setting up stalls in flea markets. Soon, he had his family and neighbours helping him with the candle making too. Last year, his factory, retail store and workshop relocated from the Old Town area in Sai Kung, to the more populous Man Nin Street. “Apart from it being lovely having a larger storefront to work from, the sea view here is amazing, it looks the same as it always did when I was growing up,” Xavier says.

Looking back onto the journey, Xavier is particularly grateful to a regular customer who periodically returns his empty containers to him for recycling. It inspired his refill service for his bespoke candles. Sustainability then became one of their primary concerns In their business development plans. Now, the refill service has been further expanded and refined as the “R Plan” - customers can now get their empty containers refilled at special “Refill Stations” set up in different areas.

As a local resident, Xavier has witnessed changes over the years in the district. “The lifestyle in Sai Kung remains the same. The changes occur mainly in the community, as different people move in and out of the area. It brings in fantastic diversity, but ultimately we all share similar values and culture.”

By listing ‘environmental protection’ as one of the core DNA values of his brand, it is Xavier’s way of paying his respects to Sai Kung as one of the working community members and residents of this unique locale.

互撐夥伴【BeCandle】專訪（一） - 從西貢出發

唔洗多作介紹，BeCandle應該係大家都認識嘅知名香薰蠟燭品牌，「香港製造」嘅本地形象具故事性嘅同時亦係質素保證，所以七年嚟都得到唔同嘅品牌垂青，有更多元化嘅合作同發展。當同創辦人Xavier傾過，就知道原來呢一切都係源自西貢「我本身喺西貢長大，我屋企人、阿公果代已經住喺西貢」

本身從事產品設計嘅Xavier希望擁有真正屬於自己嘅作品，就從興趣入手，以蠟燭作為創作媒介，加上之前因工作關係而認識到一啲調香師，順理成章咁香薰蠟燭就誕生喇。由屋企整開始，以手作形式擺市集，到搵屋企人、街坊幫手，之後就成功喺舊墟開設工場、鋪頭同工作坊。年幾前因應需要就搬到萬年街「需要大啲嘅空間，同埋成個西貢我最鍾意呢個位置，望住個海，我細個都係住喺呢到」

回想業務順利發展，Xavier特別想感謝其中一位西貢客人「西貢本身啲客係好注重環保，我哋而家嘅refill service都係啟發自佢哋，因為早期有個客用完啲蠟燭，就帶番個器皿返嚟問我哋會唔會回收，呢個舉動對BeCandle之後嘅發展有住重要嘅影響」 因此由起初只係回收啲杯清潔、生產，之後提供上門回收同蠟燭重注服務，到近期再同多間店鋪合作喺全港增設重注站等都成為業務重點之一

作為西貢人，Xavier見證住呢度嘅轉變「咁多年嚟西貢嘅基本生活方式同輪廓都冇乜點變，不過就多咗好多唔同類型嘅人，當然係多姿多彩咗好多，但基本果種文化都係好接近」 所以將環保理念注入成為品牌基因之一，或者就係BeCandle對西貢人嘅回應同尊重