History

In 3,000 BC, the Egyptians used wicked candles, but the Romans dipped papyrus in melted tallow or beeswax.  The Chinese molded their candles in paper tubes, using rice paper for the wick.  Even in India, they used the wax from boiling the fruit of the cinnamon tree to make candles. During the Middle Ages, candles became more prevalent in worship.  These beeswax candles were made much like the Romans made their candles with tallow. In Colonial America, the early settlers discovered that they were able to obtain a very appeasing wax by boiling the berries from the bayberry shrub.

In the 18th century, the whaling industry thrived and as a result, whale oil was available in large quantities.  The spermaceti wax candle did emit a rather unpleasant smell, but the wax was hard enough to hold shape in the hot summer months.  The first patented candle making machines were introduced a this time.  It was also right around this same time that a chemist named Michael Eugene Chevreul identified for the first time that tallow or animal fat consisted of fatty acids.  In 1825, Chevruel and another chemist named Joseph Gay Lussac patented a process for candle making from crude stearic.

The braided wick was also invented in the 19th century.  The braided wick was tightly plaited and a portion of the wick curled over and enabled it to be completely consumed.  This led to the commercial production of paraffin, which is an oil distillate.  The paraffin was also blended with stearic acid, which hardened the wax and created a superior and cheaper candle.  Candles now experienced a secondary role as a light source and were saved for emergencies.  In 1991, Michael Richards originally founded his company Candleworks to manufacture beeswax candles.  In July 1991, Michael Richards experimented with a wide range of vegetable waxes and plant oils.  He continued testing natural waxes for several years, including a wider range of tropical and domestic plant oils, while researching and developing other vegetable wax candles. This work resulted in a report entitled “Increasing the Use of Soybeans in the Manufacturing of Candles” for the Iowa Department of Agriculture.  In 2001, Cargill purchased the intellectual property from Michael Richard’s soy wax invention.

In 2002, Michael Richards launched a nation-wide guild of candle manufacturers called “Village Chandler”.  This guild is committed to using soy wax in candle manufacturing production.

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