Swiss-made candles thrive as imports dominate shelves

Once used mainly for lighting, prayer or birthdays, candles have become a lifestyle accessory and symbol. The Swiss public broadcaster RTS met candle-making entrepreneurs in French-speaking Switzerland who are carving out a niche for themselves. With more than 120,000 candles sold last year, the company Hello Candle is growing steadily. It was founded in 2018 by Marie Broquet and Younès Mokaddem, a couple from Yverdon-les-Bains. They began making candles in the hallway of their flat. Today, they make up to 1,000 candles a day in the town of Grandson, in premises covering 600 square metres. The company employs six people all year round, as well as around 20 temporary staff for Christmas markets. For their products, they rely on locally sourced and European materials. “We use European-grown, GMO-free soya wax, natural fragrances from Grasse, France, and wicks made from scrap wood,” explains Marie Broquet. “For packaging and labelling, we work exclusively with Swiss or European ...