BEESWAX CANDLES: PURE & SIMPLE

Beeswax candles are the purest of them all.

Beeswax candles date back from before 3,000 BC and were used for all lighting needs. 

Because they are so pure, there was a distinct degree by the Catholic Church in the sixth century about who could buy and produce candles (which is somewhat similar to the utility companies today). Unless a company was a bona fide producer, one faced imprisonment. People did do everything to make candles to light their homes. They used vegetables, animal fat and any other substance that would burn. And, the rest is history.


Candles never really left the scene and have a much different meaning.   
Today, there are so many kinds of candles made with a multitude of substances -- including toxins.  There are candles for romance, mosquitoes, prayers, rituals, etc.

Pure candles are made with 100% beeswax, from real bees and have a slightly sweet odor. These candles burn slower, about 10 hours for one inch.

Today, it's much different for candle makers, known as chandlers. 

Take Perry, an Amish beeswax candle maker, who produces the finest and purest candles, which are not made in mass quantities nor sold in stores. Can you imagine what kind of living he makes? I can't. I didn't know, until I brought a couple of tour buses to his home-based business. 

And then I learned about Perry and his wife who have a small retail store in a non-descript alum-sided building in Middlebury, IN.  He looked me directly in the eye and explained that he had major purchases and had no clue how they were going to be paid -- until my bus rolled into his driveway and folks realized the specialness of his candles -- all reasonably priced.  He thanked me profusely.  When I selected his business as a place to visit, I didn't know his predicament. All I knew was that his candles were the best.

He showed us how they are made from his hives. How bees pollinate. Then he showed us how he made a mold and slowly poured the wax. 

These are the purest. They do not sputter, smoke or drip.

I give these candles as gifts so loved ones burn them to get centered or for atmosphere.

I burn the candles to rid the house of pet odors, which really don't bother me. I burn the candles to calm me. I burn the candles to help Perry and his family. To welcome the Christmas season.