From Wax to Wings why Bee's are taking over our Candle Business

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE, U.K. - Aug. 26, 2025 - PRLog -- Matty's Candles, a Nottingham-based maker of vegan, soy-free and paraffin-free home fragrance, has unveiled a distinctly local sustainability story: founder Matthew has taken up beekeeping—and the bees are now helping to pollinate the very rapeseed fields that underpin the brand's plant-based wax. "The way to save the planet is to start a chain reaction—alter your daily routine and choose how you spend your spare time wisely," says Matthew.

From the outset, Matty's Candles rejected soy because of its links to deforestation in some supply chains and avoided paraffin due to indoor air-quality concerns associated with burning petroleum-derived wax. Matthew also chose not to use beeswax, out of respect for the work honey bees do building brood cells for their young. Instead, the company pours with a blend of rapeseed and coconut wax: rapeseed is widely grown in the UK and Europe, supporting British farmers, while coconut wax is produced from the fruit rather than felling trees—supporting smallholder livelihoods.

Surrounded by rapeseed fields in Nottinghamshire, Matthew saw a natural fit: support pollination and close the loop between countryside and craft. Animal pollinators—including honey bees, wild bees, hoverflies and butterflies—are essential to many food crops and wildflowers, and honey bees work alongside wild species to boost fruit and seed set. "Our bees help pollinate the rapeseed that ultimately gives us rapeseed wax," Matthew explains. "Support the fields, and they support us."

Beekeeping brought quick lessons. Within four weeks of installing the first colony, the hive signalled it was ready to split—swarming is the species' natural way to reproduce—so Matthew carried out a controlled division and rapidly expanded to four hives. Classic warning signs included queen (swarm) cells, congestion in the brood nest, and nectar being stored in brood cells (backfilling). A chance conversation with family chiropractor John Anthony led to a new out-apiary at his pesticide-free farm in Babbington, providing richer forage and a safer long-term base for the growing colonies.

Matty's Candles emphasises plant-based materials, cotton wicks and clear user guidance—trim the wick, —while championing biodiversity through planting and beekeeping. Evidence supports its use to soothe coughs in children over one year, and medical-grade honey can aid healing of certain burns; honey must never be given to infants under 12 months.

The result is a circular story that resonates with eco-minded customers and trade partners, connecting British agriculture, responsible ingredients and small-batch craft. "We started with one hive. The bees had other ideas," Matthew laughs. "Now we have four—and a much bigger story to tell." Visit us at https://mattyscandles.co.uk