We so excited to be chatting to our buddy Pete from Shining Sol Candle Company in our latest Behind The Wick interview…
Tell us a little about yourself – what originally drew you to making candles and launching your own business?
My name is Pete Evick, I’m a career musician / producer and have recently added author to my credits. For the last eleven years I’ve been the guitar player and music director for rock and roll icon Bret Michaels. (OMG Bret Michaels! Be cool Sam, don’t make an ass of yourself…)
During one of our breaks from tour I purchased a candle that was supposed to smell like a burning fire. I loved the scent but it wasn’t strong enough for me. After a few nights I thought to myself, I’ve never really had a hobby, I’ve been playing music my whole life, since I was 5, it’s all I’ve ever known. So I decided to see if I could copy the burning fire candle then try to improve it. In a single word my life has been “loud” and I think I was craving something quiet and this was it.
Once I learned everything I could and was happy with my creation, I started thinking it would be a good idea for my children to see first-hand what it takes to start a business of their own. Many of my friends studied for jobs that don’t exist anymore, the world changes rapidly and entrepreneur-ism is something I think we should all instill in our children, so Shining Sol Candle Company was born.
Tell us about the process that goes into making your lovely candles? What wax/products do you use?
All our products are hand poured and I use 100% soy wax. Many companies use a blend of paraffin and soy, but I chose to go all the way, I’m all about being Eco-friendly and for that alone soy is the only way to go.
I chose to use wood wicks and at first we were exclusively wood wick, but eventually I found some Eco-friendly traditional wicks and have added them to our product line.
What’s your inspiration for coming up with new scents?
To me, scents trigger memories and I like to make scents that instantly take you to your happiest times.
I’m a beach lover that’s why there are so many oceanic scents in our line.
What is your favourite candle scent of all the candles you make?
I have two; Mesmerized which was my first scent ever, a sweet woodsy campfire smell, and Carolina Dunes which is a subtle ocean scent with floral notes to sweeten it up.
Are there any scent combinations you’ve tried that have turned into a total disaster? What about happy accidents?
So many disasters I can’t even name them all. Once I was asked to combine lavender and vanilla for a customer making a signature candle for her new book.
Instead of plain vanilla I used a warm vanilla sugar fragrance and she loved it and it’s been a hit for us. It’s called Adams Grove, so that was definitely a happy accident.
Are there any other candle brands that you like and buy from? (What are your favourite scents from those brands?)
So it’s funny you ask that, obviously Yankee Candle was a big inspiration and prior to me starting the company I would have my kids pick out a Yankee Candle every year for their mother during the holidays, in respect of inspiration and tradition we still buy a Yankee Candle for the holidays every year.
I’m also a big fan of Gold Canyon Candles. Their Banana Nut Bread was the inspiration for my Unconditional candle.
What five items would you take to a desert island? (One has to be something you sell…)
My Carolina Dunes candle.
An acoustic guitar.
An iPad to write with and read from.
A fishing pole.
A Hammock.
Dude, that sounds like a pretty rockin vacation to me!
Have you any new and exciting creations planned that you’d like to share with us?
We are actually are about to release our new platinum line and I’m very excited about it.
The candles will be in a sleek black jar and have a platinum coloured lid. They’ll be white wax candles and will come in a range of elegant clean spa like scents, like Himalayan Bamboo and Cucumber Mint.
Oooooh! They sound fabulous, we’re so excited for you!
Be sure to check out Shining Sol on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and on Pinterest too and if you’d like to be featured in our Behind The Wick series, just email us at 2girls@vanillaandlime.com
