An Easley couple pours purpose into Modern Forestry Soy Candles
Bring a candle home. Light it. Let it burn. It smells nice, like lavender or pine, lemon or basil. That’s all there is to a candle, right? After meeting with Sarah and John Collins, founders of Modern Forestry, I’ve realized candles are not simply a scent. It turns out they’re much more.
As John lit a wick in their small Easley studio, formerly their home, Sarah explains candles “just kind of center people. It’s the familiarity of the scents.” They’re a centerpiece around which people gather, creating a sense of home and evoking memories, they add as they reminisce on their dedicated date night candle—which was lit at Caesars Head on the day of their engagement.
When Sarah later discovered that traditional paraffin wax candles triggered recurring migraines, she wasn’t willing to give up the small-but-mighty vessels of home and intimacy. So, she set out to make her own clean candles. The couple’s journey into candle making began over a small burner with a DIY kit in their kitchen, where melted wax stuck between the stove door serves as a reminder of their humble beginnings.
Today, three large melters heat soy wax in the studio’s dedicated candle-making space, and carefully calculated recipes dictate how much fragrance goes into how much wax. It’s down to a science attesting to their commitment to a high-quality product. “When you get a candle, there’s a consistency,” Sarah explains. With the consistency comes familiar flickers and aromas flooding a room, conjuring a sense of place they strive to share.
While traditional candles are a home staple, they can be surprisingly harmful. John refers to two research studies—one by Stanford University, the other by South Carolina State—finding toxic chemicals in gases released from paraffin-based candles. The carcinogens the studies found, he explains, are similar to those found in cigarette smoke, and cause headaches and clog air and heating vents and filters.
When Sarah and John began blending clean fragrance oils, they mixed scents reminiscent of their time outdoors together. Thru Hike, the first scent the avid hikers blended together, features notes like oak, moss, campfire, pine, and Fraser fir. They also mixed scents reminiscent of family members, like Papa’s Pipe, which reminds Sarah of her grandfather. In all, they have anywhere from 60 to 70 scents available at a time.
The soy candles feature high-quality fragrance oils and are compliant with California fragrance regulations, meaning there are no parabens, additives, sulfates, or harmful chemicals. The clean-burning candles are sold at markets and from their website, and at wholesale locations like Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery. Although the business has grown, John says they’re employing a slow-growth model to support an intentional lifestyle, centering on family, rest, and community.
These days the family is not hiking as much—and for good reason. When I met Sarah and John, it was the day before Sarah was scheduled to have their fourth child, Eden. “We’re not hiking in this season because of pregnancy, but I can still open the windows and light my candle, and it’s like I’m still on the trail,” she says, smiling and planning her eventual return to the trails.
Since meeting with the candlemakers, I’ve intentionally lit their candles to bolster my sense of home. Right now, my Honeysuckle candle conjures another time and place, where I tasted sweet nectar straight off a vine as a child. I’m thankful for the inspiration to ground myself and be present in the presence of a scent.
For more information, including a list of upcoming markets and a store locator, go to theforestrystudio.com.
Modern Forestry Weekend
Sarah and John found themselves so inspired by market communities that they created their own hub. Featuring two days of food trucks, live music, and local makers on Arran Farm, an 80-acre horse farm in Easley, Forestry Weekend will be held on October 13–14 and December 15, 2023. Follow Modern Forestry on Instagram for a schedule of events and more @modernforestry.
