Welcome to Swazi Candles

...let us light up your world!!

Who We Are

About Us

Established in 1982, we are a manufacturing company based in the beautiful Kingdom of Swaziland in Southern Africa. Our core business is candle making both traditional parafin wax as well as soya candle tea lights. Our colourful, handmade product range also features wax encased LED lights, pure vegetable glycerine soaps and marula oil bodybalm. 

We have a vibrant, music filled workshop in the Malkerns Valley where we invite guests to come and interact with our artisans as they work their magic as well as a manufacturing workshop in the Matsapha industrial area where we produce the veneers for the candles and generate our bulk order products.

We currently export to over 20 countries.

The Swazi Candles Centre

An expedition to Swazi Candles is not just a candle experience. We are happily surrounded by other talented crafters, artists and artisans as well as a bustling market and souvenir shops. Sample some Black Mamba chilli sauce or take a stroll through Yebo Art Gallery. The Sambane Tea Garden provides excellent meals, cakes and daily specials in a beautiful shady garden setting with a fabulous children's playground.

Our People

Teamwork makes the Dream work!

Our People

Proud Member of Swaziland Fair Trade Organization

We permanently employ 45 people. As a founding member of SWIFT (Swaziland Fair Trade Association) we are passionate about providing quality of life in the workplace for our employees. Our workers are part of the decision making process in our company and we are committed to sharing profits and paying a living wage to our people.

BENEFITS

Our employee benefit structures include Health Care, Pension Funds, Clothing Allowance, Food Allowance, Transport Allowance, Educational Loans, Funeral Insurance and access to the SWIFT Training Programmes.

The Process

How we make it

See the video of the process...


Colour and Creation

The wax is first dyed in large trays and then cooled into sheets. The sheets are then cut into strips and layered to form the desired pattern.

Extrusion

The layered strips are then extruded to provide the patterns with their intricate detail and then sliced into usable veneer.

Application

Our artisans then warm the veneers and skilfully hand sculpt them into beautiful animals or  geometric shapes.

The Art of Millifiore

The beautifully intricate designs of Swazi Candles use the ancient technique known as "millifiore". Millefiore, or, "thousand flowers", first surfaced in Alexandria, but was perfected in the great glass making cities of Murano and Venice. Glass beads and other objects created there were of such beauty and finesse that they became much sought-after, valuable artifacts.

On the Africa coast, these Venetian trade beads were used as a form of currency to barter for gold and ivory. So popular did they prove that the North and West Africans came to make their own variation. Thus was born the African trade bead, rare and sought after by collectors to this day.

The art of millefiore continues in Swazi Candles. But instead of glass, the gifted candle makers of Swaziland use a special hard wax to create their colourful designs. The hard wax veneer forms the outer shell of the candle, which hardly melts when the candle is lit. Hence the rich, romantic glow of the illuminated exterior as the candle burns deeper into the container lighting up the casing. The shells can still be used even after the original inside wax is gone when refitted with a votive or tea candle.

Due to their small size, mini candles do not burn in this manner and both the inner and outer wax melts with the flame, yet they still retail their intrinsic value as works of Swazi craft and possess the ethereal glowing qualities that Swazi Candles are known for.




Our History

Where we started



Swazi Candles was started in an old cowshed of a former dairy in 1982 by 2 South African art graduates. In those days The Kingdom of Swaziland was a haven of peace amidst troubled countries and proved to be an excellent place for setting up a Cottage Craft industry. The mountainous countryside was beautiful, the Swazi people were warm and friendly and proved to be ideal partners for our industry.

The little workshop soon gained a reputation for producing unique candles and started attracting visitors. The vibrancy of the workshop, uniqueness of the product and the skill of the artisans resulted in Swazi Candles becoming one of Swaziland’s premier tourist attractions. By the mid nineties the humble cowshed workshop had burgeoned into an industry that employed over 200 local people and exported candles all over the world.

The past few years we have developed some new product ranges including soya candles, wax glow lamps (which illuminate for ±100 hours on 2 AA batteries) and handmade balms and soaps. Our range of products have grown into an astonishing array of patterns, shapes and designs. Following current trends and seasonal colour ways, we are continuously updating our styles and welcome requests for selected colours and patterns for custom orders.



Our Social Responsibility Project

To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow...

Bloomin' Beautiful!

We have an organic vegetable garden to help supply our workers with fresh, wholesome food. We believe that what you put in, is ultimately what you get out. By investing in the health and well being of our staff, we, in turn, get the best from them, thus enabling us all in a win-win situation.

Our beautifully prolific garden also provides chillis for another local Fair Trade producer.

Our Products

What We Offer

Candles

We make a wide range of candles in a variety of different geometric shapes and sizes as well as animal shapes and molded candles.

Soya Tea Lights

Our 100% Soya Tea Lights are are sold both separately or with our wax cased tea light holders.

LED Glow Lamps

Our LED Glow Lamps glow for ±100 hours on 2 AA batteries. Perfect for children's nightlights or creating that perfect ambience.


Bring some light into YOUR life!

Please contact us for a full catalogue of available products.