The First Candle!

Lightning taper candles

Soy Wax candles with organic looking packaging

Rivendell Soap Factory luxury bars in our outdoor hut!

Mini cedar displays

Morning before Wholelife Expo (Luxury soaps left beside Soap Buds right)

First Soap Buds Closeup!

Total Health Morning before opening, (two NEW display types - 1 MiNi on the left, 3 Max on the right)

The business started in 1999 with a candle Adina had created that was inspired by candles she saw in Florida.  The candle wasn’t natural, but it was beautiful and Ryan told her they could sell these if they found where to buy the ingredients locally.  They searched endlessly night and day learning the foundations of a formula of this cool looking transparent wax. 

They eventually found a source within a few hours of the city that could supply the base oils.  The kitchen operation of manufacturing candles soon began.  It wasn’t long into the gel wax candle-making that they developed headaches.  Especially when the larger orders came in and they were making warm gooey wax candles all night. 

The thought of the headaches the next day upset the underlying philosophy of their business.  Yes, the candles were beautiful, but what was the expense to them and to their customers?  The next step was to come up with an alternative that was still equally unique to gel wax, but was natural! 

Early in the new millennium they began experimenting with soy wax.  Soy wax was not the traditional vegetable wax seen in health food stores.  It had properties that were different than beeswax and it was the only vegan alternative.  Besides, everyone had already heard of beeswax and were eager to light soy wax candles!  There was only one small Canadian company producing soy container candles at the time.  In order to differentiate themselves, they created the first pillar soy wax candle in Canada.  These candles burned longer and cleaner than beeswax or even the container soy wax candles.  These candles were sold in stores across Ontario and at local craft fairs. 

As production increased, so did the danger!  Wax must be heated to scalding temperatures in order to pour into molds and to create a more efficient wick.  One late night in their house, Ryan and Adina were making candles.  Normally, the wax melts on a high heat for about fifteen minutes.  This candle-making session was taking place while their favorite television program was airing and consequently, the wax was melting unattended.  

The forty-five minute soy melting mark passed and Ryan began to smell something burring in the air.  He ran to the basement, where the candle workshop was setup, and to his amazement he saw a solid white cylinder cloud rising from the pot of wax.  The situation was definitely grim.  He carefully reached through the cloud of hot gaseous wax to flip off the burner.  Even with the burner off the danger was still imminent with the pot filled to the rim with hot wax ready to burst into flames.  Ryan cautiously picked the pot off the red-hot element to ensure the wax wouldn’t heat up any more. 

The moment his hand touched the pot a small drip of wax fell onto the element.  The pot instantly burst into flames!  Ryan jolted from the explosion of fire in his hands and splashed fire wax over his hands and one foot.  Without hesitation (and care for his burning hands and foot) he proceeded to place the pot in a safe location.  As he carried the pot over boxes of newspaper, stacks of wood and carpet, small drips of flaming wax were catching his path on fire.  About fifteen feet from the source of the fire was a concrete floor where he placed the pot and quickly put a lid on the fire.  He ran over to quickly extinguish the fires that were erupting in the piles of flammable material on the pathway.  Once the mini fires were smothered, he doused his own hands and foot with cold water.  This fire was a basement fire and as we know, fires loves to travel uphill.  

Within an hour of his burns Adina realized he had to visit the hospital.  The night was long but finally the doctor told Ryan he had third degree burns to his hands and second degree burns to his foot.  The doctor cast his arm and Adina and Ryan left not only the hospital that night but also the candle business.

The next month when Ryan’s hands and their dreams of a natural business philosophy healed they rethought their business ventures and concluded that candles were not for them at the moment.  Just as they converted from gel wax to soy wax they brainstormed new ideas that were unique and exciting.  Soap was born.  The first bar of soap was made and a new dream was realized.  Rivendell Soap Factory was the brainchild of nights of name searching.  The original soap was a luxury bar developed with outstanding natural oils and a unique formula that lasted and lasted and lasted.  There were three bars and they were truly one of a kind.  Each store that carried the line had been equipped with a small natural cedar display. 

Over the course of the next two years these bars were selling all over Ontario and at festivals.  Both Ryan and Adina knew they could take their soap a step further.  They developed fifteen formulas based on the original luxury bars.  Each bar was to be natural and unique from its sister bars.  They even took the popular shape of the luxury bar and cut it into thirds, the new size was better suited for smaller hands.  The soaps were given the cute name of Soap Buds and were launched at Whole Life Expo 2003 in Toronto, Canada.  

The weekend of the expo event was cold and rainy, but their booth managed to keep lineups all weekend long.  Their expectations were exceeded by a landfall.  Within the next two months they had their phone ringing off the hook with people requesting where they could buy the Soap Buds in stores.  In those same two months they had to develop a strategy of how they were going to match the demand of their customers.  By the time sixty days had passed from the Expo they were ready to distribute Soap Buds to the Canadian market.  Within six months people across Canada were hearing about Soap Buds because they received them as gifts or saw them in their local stores.  Soap Buds is growing every day.

So this ends the chapter of our company’s humble beginnings and starts with a new chapter of our company’s unique future!

Don't take it from us, here are some of our fans e-mails:

Thanks again! Your soap really is amazing - I've raved about it to my friends, and I'm actually going to give some of these Soap Buds away as presents. -Emily (Emily, thanks for your kind words, Soap Buds make excellent gifts!)

I spent some time in the soap section and your product really stood out from the rest of the boring bar soaps. I work in the retail sector and appreciate innovative marketing ideas like yours that help to narrow down purchasing decisions. Congratulations and good luck! -Kevin (Kevin, we've not only spent months developing our soap formulas, we also spent countless hours on our displays, these displays are a cut above the rest and attract the eye from a distance. Thanks for your kind words!)

Your soap is amazing! Are there any stores that carry it in Ottawa? I just moved here and I'm almost finished my bar - it was SheaShea. Can I buy more online? I must have more of the SheaShea - I didn't need moisturizer all winter because of it! -Carol (Carol, we no longer sell soaps online as we wish not to compete with our retailers, by the end of summer we expect to have our soaps in Ottawa)

Your soap is doing so well for us at both locations! I was just wondering how much is the minimum order and if I can only order certain soaps only. The shea butter, vanilla bean and hemp are such hot seller for me. Would I be able to order just those or do I have to get the whole set again? -Alison (Alison, you may order as many or as few as you would like, it is always best to keep your displays full - stack 'em high, watch 'em fly!)

Thank you for the soaps I received this afternoon. We have a lot of friends in Toronto and I am sure that for Christmas they will be very happy to have some of your wonderful soaps.... what is exactly name SOAPS BUDS...( des petits savons....small soaps...)Merci. Thank you very much. Did you sell a lot of soaps at the Health Convention 2003? -Nathalie (Nathalie, Soap Buds is the new name given to our soaps, they are cute, not small, they last longer than a traditional commercial bar, do not let the size fool you, you'll be pleasantly surprised when you use them!)