Recently, Mairi MacDonald and Caim Candles have had reason to celebrate after winning a LuxLife ‘The Perfect Gift Award’. Caim candles can proudly say that they were recognised as the Best Family-run Home Fragrance Business of 2023. Mairi mentions that:

‘Winning this award means so much to a small business like mine, it means the world to continue having such fantastic support to keep moving forward’

Caim is a Gàidhlig word for sanctuary and was an old word for a celtic circle of prayer – the perfect word for this new North Uist business. It seems that for some people a candle set is not just for Christmas – Mairi MacDonald of Caim Candles is one of those people.

It seems that for some people a candle set is not just for Christmas – Mairi MacDonald of Caim Candles is one of those people.

Myself and my friend would make candles from our sets we got from Santa and then we would ‘encourage’ family members to buy them from us. I was always really obsessed with home fragrance. 

Mairi began making her candles in 2019. Since then she’s managed to get her hands on a 30ft steel cabin – an old canteen on a building site – and now runs a beautiful gift shop by her house in North Uist where you can find candles, diffusers, wax melts and various other things to make your safe space cosy.

One day we’ll clad it, but with the price of wood it can wait. I ploughed all my savings into this business and I’ve never looked back. It was scary and it’s still scary and surreal. 

Over time you get to know and remember what people like, so if people are in the shop,  buying presents for others, I can tell them which ones that person likes. You get to know people’s tastes.

Mairi’s candles range from £15 to £65 and she has plenty of selection on offer however it seems that the current energy crisis and price hike hasn’t forgotten about the home fragrance business.

The cost of everything has risen so much. Everything I buy now for a candle; the wax, the wicks, the oils, even down to the packaging has skyrocketed and it has really had an impact. Diffusers have gone through the roof.

I have tried to absorb some of that cost so that the candles are not too expensive for the customer. It’s difficult to judge what’s going to happen. People think it’s cheap and easy to make a candle but it’s not, especially if you’re doing them at a good quality and going through testing all the components of each one. Doing it right shouldn’t be cheap.  

Màiri, like plenty others, was in a job which wasn’t fulfilling her ambitions or goals, but sometimes it’s not so easy to make that first jump out on your own. 

“When I was employed I was always wanting out, I was always looking for a way to work for myself.”

Well, as luck would have it, the world was then hit with a global pandemic. 

“When Covid happened, I was put on furlough. The minute furlough kicked in I thought that I’d give it a try. So I bought a small amount of wax and a tiny little bottle of oil and started experimenting. When I had to go back to work, I realised that it wasn’t for me so I left. 

This business has exceeded my expectations. It’s been a whirlwind which seems to be going from strength to strength. When I first started I never expected this and I didn’t think for a minute that I would have the customers I have now, it’s just mad.

The fragrance is also very important, the smells have to be realistic. The range of fragrances you can have in the store really depends on the funds available to you. Formulating fragrances is a very costly thing to do. 

With your fragrance oils, you also have to test how much you use with each new fragrance. Some are stronger or weaker so you have to decide your amounts without affecting and clogging the wick. You can’t just hope for the best, you have to test for each vessel, fragrance, wick and wax that you choose. They all require different methods.

Màiri puts her candles through a vigorous testing process.

I’m still testing. You’ve never done testing. With every new vessel you try you have to redo all the tests. It took me a couple of months of testing before I was happy with the diameter of the tin which I was using. You test your measurements, your quantities, your ratios of wax to fragrance, and the percentages of fragrance oils that you’re using. 

Not every wick will work in the wax that I use but it might be fine in a different type of wax. So, you’re never done testing. If I decide I’m taking out a new candle style I’ve got to start that whole process again.

Then once you’ve tested everything, you mix it so your fragrance binds with the soy particles and then you’re ready to go, and start pouring.

Just like that, eh a Mhàiri!  

With all the process, it’s simple to see why Màiri’s candles are so popular locally. This local support is something she feels strongly about and has been a pillar to her own business. 

There is a very large supportive community here in Uist for small businesses, crafters and artists and I think that’s absolutely wonderful. It just showcases what really there is here.

There’s space for everybody. I don’t think I could have done it without the community and it felt instant in the response. I honestly was blown away. Those customers who were there to buy my very first candles are still coming back to me. 

Màiris expansion plans aren’t over yet and she has plenty more plans for her bright future. 

I’m hoping to get a second 30ft steel container for a candle workshop and maybe even some staff for next year. 

It’s scary, thinking of being in charge of somebody else. At the moment I have Ryan and the kids on hand for the heavy lifting and family support but my OCD and quality control doesn’t let them get involved in making any part of the candles.

You can make your house cosier and buy some Caim Candles online and in Màiris 30ft container in North Uist. Keep an eye also on her social media pages to see what she’s up to.

If you don’t do it then you will never know. Everyone fails at various things throughout their lives, but it’s not failure, it’s something to look back on and grow with. It is scary, it might be financially challenging but you know what, go for it! If I hadn’t had tried this I would have been kicking myself. 

I’m so content now, working for myself with a job that I love.