The Brightside - Hunter Candles

April 3, 2024

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Written by

April 3, 2024

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Written by

Meet Vianney, the creative force behind Hunter Candles, a brand deeply intertwined with the soul of Newtown. With a passion for crafting sensory experiences, every Hunter Candles blend creates an olfactory journey designed to inspire, surprise and excite.

G’day Vianney. Thanks for inviting us into your beautiful store. Tell us about Hunter Candles!

Hey guys! I’m Vianney, the owner and candle maker here at Hunter Candles. I’ve not always been a candlemaker. I started my working life as a singer. I have travelled the world singing all kinds of music with many artists. When landing back in Sydney, I worked in people operations for many years until my creative urge reemerged.

I’ve always been attracted to scent. As a young girl, I would spend hours in my grandma’s inspiring garden, learning the species and, at times, picking the petals to try and make perfumes. It came quite naturally to me the ability to identify how scents made us feel and how to articulate this to others. Not knowing the science of candle making, I threw myself in and spent years perfecting the art behind what makes a candle burn well and what materials are best for us. I haven’t looked back.

Along the way, I have found that I do have a signature style. I am always drawn towards a blend that evokes a reaction and feeling, usually featuring woods, herbs, resins, and leafy notes. Florals, fruits, and gourmand types don’t feature heavily at Hunter; however, they are peppered in as we can’t live without them in scent!

Does the name Hunter Candles have a story behind it?

Funnily enough, I never sought to build a brand per se; I began making candles in my kitchen and gifting them to friends and family. When they were asking to buy them, I needed to think of a name to pop on the glass! Don’t laugh, but my first name was “Girl in the Hat” - it’s a little Doctor Seuss, so I am glad I landed on Hunter, which is my surname.

Your scents are very unique. Where do you draw your inspiration from?

The inspiration behind landing on scents or presenting them in the collection is infinite. I began being inspired by my talented friends and loving family, identifying their personalities and creating candles that express their souls. Since those times, I have used landscapes, pockets in forests, buildings, architecture, restaurants, and moments sharing food. For me, it’s all about capturing a feeling and then passing that magical feeling along to you.

Among the candles you’ve created, do you have a personal favourite?

As I learn more and develop the library of scent in my mind, my taste evolves, as you can see in the evolution of scent offerings at Hunter. However, there is one blend which always catches me in my steps. It has everything I enjoy in a candle that can be burnt all year round and compliments all moods. It’s our Mountain Ash candle from the Grounded Collection, which is peppered with ivy, green ash and crushed basil. It’s a herbaceous and earthy blend based on warm and dry woods, mossy notes, crisp peppers, and zesty citrus. It’s intriguing and green, with a sultry allure. I even use our room spray as a “perfume”. I spray it on my clothing and constantly get asked what the scent is!

Could you share some of the eco-friendly practices Hunter Candles incorporates into its production process?

Absolutely. Eco-friendly practices are at the heart of what we do. You will notice that all our products are made from materials that are recycled goods, like our boxes, or can be recycled. We, of course, want to create a beautiful product but keep the waste to an absolute minimum. We run a recycling and refill program, too! We offer a discount when our customers bring back their glass so we can recycle it. Candles need to be cleaned out of their wax before recycling the glass, so we take that step off your hands, and as a reward, take 10% off your new candle. We also offer to refill the glass in both stores or even accept them being sent back to us if you’re interstate. You can change the scent and enjoy a “new” candle without wasting the glass. This is extremely popular with our beautiful community, and we love them for it!

Where can people find you?

We would love to see you in our stores! Our flagship store is in Newtown! 133 King St, Newtown 2042. We are also in the city, in the iconic Strand Arcade, on the ground floor next to Haighes! We also have a range of amazing stockists around Australia, including Banabae! Find a list of those on our website. Finally, you can also peruse our collection on our website. We hope to see you soon!

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