Ragine Williams has long had a thing for candles. They evoked a certain sense of peace and in time she began making candles for her family. What began as gifts has since blossomed into a business by way of her Blissful Belle & Co.
An employee at pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. by day – she is the chief of staff for the Global Diversity and Inclusion Center of Excellence – Williams took steps to launch the Philadelphia-based company in 2020 and formally debuted products earlier this year.
The business was years in the making. Starting in 2018 after she completed her master’s degree at La Salle University, Williams began dabbling in candle creation. Enjoying the scents of her holiday gifts, Williams’ sister and boyfriend encouraged her to pursue it as a business.
When the Covid-19 pandemic struck in 2020, Williams saw the importance of mental health and self-care, in which candles can play a small role. “Candles for me, they provide a type of therapy,” she said, noting different aromas can elicit different responses. For example, eucalyptus and mint is “more like a peaceful aroma.”
When it came to selecting a name, she decided on Belle, her middle name and a nod to her great-grandmother. While Williams initiated the business in 2020, it took two more to enter the market.
Through Blissful Belle & Co., Williams is pursuing a passion while building what she hopes is a sustainable business – both financially and environmentally. To that end, she uses soy wax in her creations and wood wicks, which both burn cleaner and eschew the chemicals found in many commercial brands.
“I care about the world and the environment that we live in,” said Williams of her decision. “It's one of those things that if I could impact it, even though I'm just one person, one candle at a time, I believe that we can continue to change the world and make sure that we are being as sustainable as possible.” She has also initiated a recycling program for local customers.
Blissful Belle began with five scents and has since debuted a seasonal collection. The goal is to release subsequent lines seasonally.
Candle scents include lavender and vanilla, teakwood and some bearing fun names like “Brunch” –— reminiscent of mimosas, “Date Night” — “a really subtle scent,” and the signature “Bliss,” which Williams describes as “a pomegranate, soft, fragrant flowers scent.” Another called “Blossom” takes its inspiration from the annual Shofuso Cherry Blossom Festival in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park.
Most candles are available in 10- or 12-ounce jars and retail for $18 and $24, respectively. Williams sources all of the components – wax, wicks, jars and oils – from suppliers in the United States.
Each are hand poured in small batches of up to 48 candles. She balances candle production with her role at Merck, often pouring in the evenings and on weekends.
Getting to this point wasn’t without its ups and downs. Williams had no previous experience and is a self-taught candlemaker who learned largely by researching, watching videos of other makers and “a lot of trial and error,” she said. She has self-funded the business so far.
Having conceptualized Blissful Belle in the throes of a pandemic and seen the impacts Covid-19 has had on businesses, Williams is now considering ways to diversify revenue. Currently sales are direct to consumer, but Williams is pursuing wholesale partnerships and custom scents for small businesses the way some boutique and luxury hotels do. Within the next year, she also hopes to delve into another wellness segment with body butters.
Why soy wax?
Soy wax is 100% natural. It allows you to really explore what a natural candle is like because it comes from the natural soybean and it doesn't have all those different toxins that you find in other candles. … We're really focused on sustainability and making sure that we aren't using oils that are so crude and impactful to the environment.
What might seasonal collections look like?
I see seasonal launches coming soon because the winter and the fall are two of my favorite [seasons]. I can't wait to drop the fall scents. It's like those apple, cinnamon scents and warm toast, things like that.
What about body butters?
That's something that I've been getting some interest in because everyone's like, “Oh, your candle smells so good, I would love this in a body butter.” I haven't gotten the time to actually sit down and do the research of what types of oils are needed to go into those type of body butters to put on your skin. … That can come down the pipeline, I would say anywhere between the end of this year or early next year.
