Poured From The Heart

December 5, 2024

By Gretchen Westdal Centers

If you’ve ever wondered how a small business goes from concept to reality, Poured Soy Candle Co., located in Kalona, is a great case study on how hard work and creativity can create a thriving business. We talked with Bobbie Peiffer, founder and owner of Poured Soy Candle Co., on how she went from pouring candles in her basement after her kids went to sleep to a full-scale business that ships handmade candles nationally.

Why did you choose the candle-making business?

Before candle making, I owned Cherry Blossom Boutique, a small retail home decor/floral business in Downtown Kalona. I have a degree in interior design, and I am passionate about design, decor and creative projects.

In 2014, I, along with my mom, her best friend and her daughter, started a market called The Barn Flea and Fair in Wellman. It was a fun idea we had that turned into a huge event we held several times a year!  I noticed we were having a hard time finding a candle vendor that we liked. There just weren’t that many around the time.

After talking with my husband about the lack of candles we liked, he asked, “Why don’t you just do it?” The idea took hold. After hours of research, trial and error and self-teaching, Poured Soy Candle Co. started in 2015.

Tell me more about your business. 

I'm an Iowa girl — born and raised in Kalona and have since raised my family there as well. 

We have a wide list of retailers across the Midwest for whom we fill wholesale orders and retail customers across the U.S. Each of our products is handmade and poured in our Kalona studio. We pride ourselves on using 100% soy wax produced with U.S.-sourced soybeans.

What has the growth been like for your company?

When I started pouring in 2015, everything happened in my basement with hot plates and a tiny sink. I made up for what I lacked in space in my determination to grow. Most of the pouring I did was at night after my daughters were in bed. I started with a handful of fragrances that I had tested over and over before finally feeling brave enough to start selling.

By 2017, I had outgrown my basement and found a small space to move the operation to in Iowa City. It wasn't fancy, but it was the next step. I added more fragrances, a large wax melter and started attending vendor shows. Those shows were so critical to early success. I met customers and business owners who were interested in wholesaling.  I can't say I miss packing, loading, setting up and tearing down that comes with vendor shows, but I do miss the people I met along the way.

In 2019, we purchased the building in Kalona we currently call home. I have studio space for production and a small retail space. My business has grown significantly and is continuing to grow. We now offer nine different products and a wide variety of fragrances to retailers and customers throughout the Midwest and U.S..

What is your process for making candles?

It’s tedious, but that’s what makes us stand out. Everything is done by hand in our Kalona studio. We create and test scents. Then, each candle is hand-wicked and poured. After the curing process, the candle is labeled, topped with a lid and packed for delivery. Candles are typically poured one day and then cut and labeled the next.

During my busy season, August to January, I pour 500 to 1,000 candles almost weekly.

Why do you choose soy to make your candles?

I use 100% soy wax with U.S.-sourced beans, which was important to me. There are many different kinds of soy wax, each just slightly different from the next. Finding the one that works best for my products took some time, but it has been the same wax I've used from the beginning. I use hundreds of pounds of wax each week! Soy is non-toxic and burns cleanly, which makes for better indoor air quality.

Where do you get inspiration for your scents?

Fragrance inspiration comes in many ways. I get many suggestions from customers that I keep in a journal. Sometimes, random things I come across give me an idea and other times, it's new fragrance oils that some of my favorite suppliers offer. Testing new fragrances takes a lot of time — more than people realize. So many don’t make the cut, but when they do, it makes all the tweaks and time worth it.  

What’s your favorite part of the process and your business?

I'm a creative at heart. It's my passion, and what brings me joy, so that’s the most enjoyable, with customers being a close second. It fills my cup to form relationships and have conversations with the people who are supporting my business and continuing to allow me to grow and dream.

Lastly, being able to involve my family has been so rewarding. My husband and I have four girls who have grown up in the candle and retail business with me. They help in the retail shop now. They can set up and tear down a booth, run a register and even help with production. It's been a blessing to have them be such an important part.

What do you hope for the future of your business?
I have so many dreams! I'm excited to continue to grow in both wholesale and retail. I want to employ other moms who share my passion for creativity and love building relationships with our customers. Expanded retail plans are currently in the works. I've patiently waited for this to come together and am so excited!

You participate in something called Rural Road Trip. Tell me about it. 

Rural Road Trip is something a friend and other small business owner dreamt up and started. Mallary Snakenberg, who owns The Feathered Farmhouse, was looking for a way to bring shoppers to small businesses in Southeast Iowa, and this event does just that.

Rural Road Trip is a weekend full of shopping fun, mapped out with amazing and talented businesses to visit. Brick-and-mortar stores are invited to host pop vendors in their space. This allows new businesses to grow and participate without having their own stores.  The Road Trip happens three times a year: spring, fall and during the holidays. It has shone a light on the amazing small business in southeastern Iowa. It's the ultimate girls’ weekend shopping trip.

What has been the most surprising thing about starting your business? What has been the most fulfilling?

I'm not sure you know how much grit and resilience you have until you start your own business. You must fail to grow, and that's never been easy for me. I’ve learned so much. 

Like anyone else, I did a lot of planning before I took the leap to start. You can prepare, calculate, plan and plan again, but it never goes how it does on paper. Something will always come up, and the ability to pivot becomes almost natural and expected.

It's always worth it, but it's not always easy. The most fulfilling feeling is looking back to see how far you've come and the relationships I've built with customers.

I feel humbled to have customers from across the U.S. who support my business and continue to make my dreams possible.  

Photos courtesy of Poured Soy Candle Co.