This Sacramento-based candle shop creates clever, nostalgic Pinoy scents
Photos from @kandelitacompany/Instagram
If smells trigger vivid memories, then having carefully curated home fragrances is an important part of building a cozy atmosphere. Luckily for Filipino-Americans, there’s a local candle shop based in Elk Grove creating uniquely nostalgic scents with clever names. Meet Kandelita Company.
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Owner Ashley Sullera, a second-generation Filipino-American, started Kandelita’s candlemaking in August 2021. “I have been greatly influenced by my cultural upbringing, so it’s exciting to be able to have it as my source material for candlemaking,” says Sullera. “Each fragrance is curated to celebrate and uplift Southeast Asian culture through fragrance and home decor.”
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Kandelita’s candles are made with a premium blend of American grown soy wax. Sullera’s one-woman production team creates them in small batches—with each candle labeled, wicked, poured, weighed, and packaged by hand.
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The latest among the brand’s interesting scents is Chismosa which is described as smelling like “chis-mimosas” with its notes of sparkling champagne, iced white tea, and a hint of peach nectar.
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A collector of indie perfumes before she started candlemaking, Sullera also creates more unconventional scents such as Bahay Kubo with its sandalwood, rattan, and nipa grass notes and Rice with its steamed rice, banana leaf, and coconut milk notes.
Apart from soy candles, Kandelita also offers perfumes, deodorizing room sprays, and wax melts.
