Alisa, 17, on how refillable candle business went viral in just five months
Alisa Chirgadze (pictured) from Ely was just 16-years-old when she launched her business, Waxwing Candles, during the pandemic. Now, it's gone viral and is a huge success. - Credit: Instagram: waxwing_candles
A 17-year-old girl from Ely who launched a refillable candle brand during the pandemic has spoken out on how her business went viral in just five months.
Hills Road sixth form student, Alisa Chirgadze and her mum, Oksana launched Waxwing Candles in August 2021 after they both became strong candle lovers during lockdown.
“I found that they brought calmness to our home at a time when we really needed it,” said Alisa.
“It got to the point though where we’d always have a candle burning and we started to realise just how many jars we were using.”
That’s when the pair started to search for sustainable solutions to fuel their habit.
Waxwing Candles are made with 100% plant-based wax and non-toxic fragrances. - Credit: Instagram: waxwing_candles
Alisa told her mum about the idea of candle refills; how there was a gap in the market and how she believed it could be really successful if they got it right.
“We started developing our idea in a small studio at home in November 2020, testing over 100 fragrances,” said Alisa.
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“Once we were happy and knew that we were using the cleanest ingredients that we possibly could, we launched Waxwing Candles.”
Alisa, who was only 16 when she launched her business, says she is really happy knowing that Waxwing products only use 100% plant-based wax and non-toxic fragrances.
But it was when a video went viral that she really saw the success.
Founder of Waxwing Candles Alisa Chirgadze (L) with co-founder and Alisa's mum, Oksana (R). They are pictured in their home studio. - Credit: Instagram: waxwing_candles
Waxwing Candles can be purchased in a number of different fragrances and jar colours. - Credit: Instagram: waxwing_candles
“We have a website, Instagram and TikTok account; our Instagram reached over 18,000 followers very quickly and then five months from launching, one of my TikTok videos got over 800,000 views,” said Alisa.
“It was such a surreal moment and it got to the point where we were receiving orders every hour. That week we made four figures, it was crazy.”
Since launching her brand, Alisa has also had to juggle her sixth form commitments, a part-time job at Tesco and her love for Tennis.
She says it’s all been worth it though.
“Of course, it’s very difficult but I’ve never been more motivated,” she said.
“My typical evening routine is filming content, posting on social media and packing orders. I usually stop around 10pm.”
She added: “We’re doing really well. We’ve just launched a limited-edition Valentine’s scent and we’re in the process of making new fragrances for Mother’s Day too.”
You can visit Waxwing Candles’ website, Instagram and TikTok here.
Waxwing Candles has launches a limited-edition Valentine's scent. - Credit: Instagram: waxwing_candles
Five months after launching Waxwing Candles, a video (pictured) Alisa posted on her business' TikTok account went viral, reaching over 800,000 views. - Credit: Instagram: waxwing_candles
Waxwing Candles' refillable candle. - Credit: Instagram: waxwing_candles
17-year-old Alisa Chirgadze from Ely (pictured), founder of Waxwing Candles. - Credit: Instagram: waxwing_candles
