Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Torres Albert Filoteo.
Hi Melissa Torres, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
As a couple, we both enjoy candles. It’s something we purchased for our home when we could. The idea of making our own was something we floated around just for fun (and to save some money), but making the business wasn’t something we took seriously until we realized the ingredients in some of our favorite products. We had a conversation with Albert’s sister in-law, who was pregnant at the time, about how she was advised to avoid using them. Looking into the ingredients, we realized just how harmful they could be. Our goal from that day on was to create safe, clean, affordable candles that we could share with friends, family, and our community. Now we are a year into our small business and plan to expand. We’re proud of our culture and our roots and really hope our customers know just how much their support means to us.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Candle making is similar to baking. You can have all the ingredients correct but if you miss a step, you have to start all over. Through our process it’s been so much trial and error. Getting aligned in our vision for the brand was something we had nailed down but the product itself has taken some time to perfect and we’re still learning. Making candles has been a learning curve on its own.
Aside from teaching ourselves the production side, the business side has also had its challenging moments since neither of us come from a business background. Me being an English teacher and him working for the railroad doesn’t really lend itself to the business world, but we’ve managed to make it work. Thankfully we have friends and family members who have succeeded in their own businesses that continue to give us advice to help us along the way. Not to mention all the vendors and business owners we’ve met who were so welcoming and willing to share some knowledge of their own. It’s a really great community to be a part of.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As I mentioned before, my background is in English. I earned my bachelor’s from UTSA and my masters from St. Mary’s University. I’m currently a high school English teacher and while teaching can be challenging, I do love what I do. Reading has always had a special place in my heart since my mom is a retired elementary teacher and she always made sure to stress the importance of reading and having an education.
Albert’s background is as a remote engineer and conductor for the railroad. His job is physically and mentally challenging since they deal with heavy machinery at all hours of the day. His schedule consists of nights or days depending on his job assignment, which can be taxing on his body, but he still enjoys what he does as well and takes pride in his work.
Neither of us has a background in business, or even candle making, so I feel that because we manage to take the time to learn and grow it shows how dedicated we are to this company. We believe that our products can bring people joy and that small feeling of nostalgia when they smell our candles and see our molds. We also try to include things that inspire us, featuring quotes and messages on each of the labels I make based on either books I’ve read or things in San Antonio that we’ve experienced in our community.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
We’re always looking for ways to partner with people to help how we can. Earlier this year we participated in the Aid the Silent Gala, which raises money for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. We also did some fundraising for groups by creating bundles of our candles to support them. Giving back to the community is something we would like to continue doing in whatever way possible since we’re still in the early phases of our own company, so if anyone is interested we’re always happy to hear from them.
Aside from that, we’ve recently had a few business owners reach out for possible collaborations. The idea is to create a special scent or candle with their logo that they can sell as their own item with their brand. We hope to see these collaborations come to fruition soon. In the meantime, our hope is that people continue to purchase from us online through our website, in person at our markets, and at our soon to be stall in The Shops on Park Lane, to continue expanding our business and bring clean hand-made candles for everyone to enjoy.
Pricing:
- Wax Melts ( 1 oz) in our special scents: $3.00 or (2) for $5.00
- Air Fresheners: $4.00
- 6 ounce Candles: $12.00 8 ounce Candles: $16.00
- 12 ounce Candles: $25.00
- Candle Molds: $5-$16 depending on the mold
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.trinitycandleco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trinitycandlecotx
- Facebook: Trinity Candle Co.
- Other: https://linktr.ee/trinitycandlecompanytx
