Candle Studio, start-up of handmade candles made of soy wax, plans to enter the Turkish and Spanish markets, Nata Ogulashvili, the founder of the startup company, told BM.GE.
According to Ogulashvili, she was making candles as gifts for friends and relatives, but later she decided to turn it into a business due to the great demand.
"Initially, I made candles for myself and just gave them to friends and relatives as gifts, but the response was so good that my husband and I decided to turn it into a business and produce larger quantities. Currently, we do not have a permanent store, we sell our products online and also, at street fairs", Nata Ogulashvili told BM.GE.
The founder of Candle Studio also notes that there are many obstacles in the production process and the only way to make a profit is to export.
"The interest is very seasonal, mainly during the holidays, it is very less in the summer, 40% of the profit accounts for the pre-New year period.
Also, the price of the products is an important obstacle, because our candles are made with quite expensive products, therefore, we are forced to set a high price, which is unacceptable for Georgian customers, they do not understand why a candle made with vegetable wax can be more expensive than a candle made with paraffin. Our main customers are foreigners, that's why we think to enter the foreign market.
Currently, we are negotiating with Turkey, where our branded products should be placed in the store, and also with Spain," said Nata Ogulashvili.
The founders of the company made a personal investment of USD 5,000 in the process of creating the startup. The price of their products varies between 25-65 GEL.
