A Peek Inside the Farmhouse Candle Workshop

In the solitude of the candle workshop, Iris carefully hand-pours each batch of our scented wax by eye and with precision. Continuing in the tradition of handcraft, our candles are an aromatic connection to the natural beauty of Vermont.

Our founder James was first inspired to create a Farmhouse candle during a trip to New York City. Upon finding a fir-scented candle that was reminiscent of the forest behind the Farmhouse workshop, he dreamt of creating a line of custom scents that would allow our visitors to bring a piece of the Green Mountains back home.

Countless hours were spent testing as James set to achieve the perfect balance of fragrance. He opted to use 100% cotton braided wicks with no hazardous materials, and a lot of wick testing was done to ensure an even, clean burn. Even the packaging received careful attention. The boxes were specially designed by James to fit our candle vessels and were originally printed one at a time on a letterpress.

After much refinement, Farmhouse launched its first candle — The Vermont Wood Candle in Fir. The inaugural scent captured the essence of our home and remains a favorite amongst our employees and collectors alike. We later introduced our Cultivate & Garden candles, inspired by the bundles of dried lavender that James’s mother hung throughout their home.

How They’re Made

The wax, an American farmed soy, is heated slowly in a large vessel and blended with our custom scent recipes, made from a blend of essential and fine fragrance oils. 

A batch of glass vessels are lined up in an array on the workshop bench, and wicks are added to each one. Then the true artisanship begins — the soy blend is hand poured, slowly and carefully, into each vessel. It takes a full day for the wax to set.

With the help of an assistant and sometimes her family, Iris handwrites the scent onto each label and packages them up one by one.