Jodie O’Brien’s business sparked a splendid duet in creating spectacular candle sets.
Story by Mary Dansak, Photos by Yannique Barker
They say good things come in pairs, like the holly and the ivy, and hot cocoa with marshmallows. Some duos create synergy, resulting in something greater than the sum of their parts. Such is the case with DUET, a candle company comprised of elegant and uplifting pairings at work in its product, its business model, and the complete gift-giving experience.
“The concept of DUET came about when I was sending care packages to my daughters,” owner Jodie O’Brien explains. “As a lifelong candle lover, I included candles and matches, purchased separately, in these packages. I was taught to add a little something extra when gifting to enrich the intended sentiment, something to make the recipient feel special. My grandmother taught me that the little something extra need not be expensive, just thoughtful.”
“While I was putting together these care packages I said to my husband, ‘Why don’t people sell candles and matches together? They’re like peanut butter and jelly, they’re a set. People don’t smoke anymore; no one has matches lying around.’ My husband said, ‘Why don’t you look into it?’”
Although her husband may have been teasing, the idea stuck.
“Having just become an empty nester, I had newfound time and so began my research into the world of candles,” Jodie says. “The whole business is much more complicated than I ever imagined. One nibble of information led to the next, like a domino effect.”
With Jodie’s interest sparked, the concept of a business was born. There would be candles, splendid candles, unlike the ones she’d been purchasing which left her uninspired. Her candles would incorporate new scents and bring something exciting to the whole candle-gift-giving experience. Each candle would thoughtfully include a coordinating, display-worthy box of color-tipped matches and be housed in exceptional, gift-ready packaging.
“I looked into several candle manufacturers, but nothing resonated,” she says. “I was just coming into being. Some of these businesses required a minimum of 5000 candles per set. I wasn’t ready for that.”
Jodie had heard about The IDDeal Foundation, an organization which, as stated on their website, provides “adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DDs) the opportunities they need to thrive, find balance, and lead IDDeal lives.”
One of the pillars of the IDDeal Foundation is ScentsAbility Candles, a program whose mission is “to provide workplace opportunities adapted for adults with IDDs by creating beautiful artisan scented candles,” according to Bonnie Schmidt and Denise Anderson, co-founders of the IDDeal Foundation. In other words, they poured candles while serving a worthy cause.
Although the IDDeal Foundation did not present itself as a manufacturer for other businesses’ products, Jodie couldn’t get this organization out of her mind.
“Finally, I asked myself, ‘What do I have to lose?’ I gave them a call,” she says.
Bonnie and Denise were receptive to Jodie’s ideas. They arranged to meet at the IDDeal facility, located just thirty minutes away from Jodie’s home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
“Jessica and Lexy were present in that first meeting,” Jodie recalls, “Bonnie’s and Denise’s daughters.”
Jessica and Lexy both have IDDs. Bonnie and Denise founded the IDDeal Foundation to serve adults like their own daughters who face gaps in services providing them with meaningful opportunities to fulfill their potential.
“Everything felt right,” Jodie recalls. “I walked out of that meeting knowing I now had the reason, the purpose, for moving ahead with my plan for DUET. From that point forward, I never looked back.”
WAXING ELOQUENT
DUET candles are a far cry from those you might find in a home decorating store. Everything about DUET candles, from the ingredients to the vessels to the packaging, is intentionally and thoughtfully planned.
Fragrances range from Blossom (lotus flower, fig, and French lilac) to Tonic (watermint, eucalyptus, mandarin zest).
“Our best-selling scent is Spruced,” Jodie says. “Candles are a popular Christmas gift, and Spruced is the quintessential Christmas tree scent.” Other favorites are Cashmere (vanilla, jasmine, coconut), Sea Glass (ocean mist, verdure, citrus zest), and Mélange (crushed herbs, neroli, heirloom tomato).
A tomato candle? “The tomato candle became popular about two years ago,” Jodie explains. “It resonated with me immediately. Growing up, my grandparents always had a summer garden. I remember standing by the kitchen sink smelling those amazing tomatoes, the Wonder Bread, and the Duke’s mayonnaise. Scents create memories.”
Inspired by such lingering memories from childhood, a special trip to Barbados with her husband, or lavender fields in Barcelona, Jodie then works with fragrance houses to bring her aromatic ideas to life.
“I tell our rep what we have in mind,” she says. “Then they put my fragrances in wax. We smell them cold, then burn them and smell them warm in our selection process. They do a great job creating our scents. There are people in the industry called ‘noses’ whose olfactory senses are heightened. They can decipher all these smells, select all these notes, and put them together to make a fragrance that conjures a memory.”
BENEVOLENT FLAME
DUET’s partnership with the IDDeal Foundation was not only the genesis for the business but remains the flame that lights the path forward.
The National Snapshot of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities in the Labor Force, a poll administered by Gallup, found that less than half of adults with intellectual disabilities are part of our nation’s labor force. In response, the IDDeal Foundation provides these adults with on-site training to develop both technical and social skills, the opportunity to work jobs at events and community functions, and even job placement outside the foundation when applicable.
These jobs include hand-pouring the candles for DUET. In addition to supporting the mission of the IDDeal Foundation, DUET donates directly to the foundation with the purchase of every candle.
A GIFT THAT HAPPENS TO BE A CANDLE
“Everything about DUET is meant to be a gift, an elevated experience,” Jodie says.
When someone receives a DUET candle, there is no mistaking this intention.
A DUET candle arrives beautifully packaged in a printed gift box designed by Jodie and a graphic artist to reflect the candle’s essence, whether that’s flowers, fruit, trees, or leaves. “I love animals, so there’s always a little bee or butterfly, some little critter, somewhere on the watercolor canvas,” Jodie laughs.
The package is tied with an elegant satin ribbon that bespeaks a true treasure inside. Upon untying the ribbon and opening the box, the first thing one sees is a coordinated gift card delivering a personalized message from the sender. Even the candle’s dust cover, not your typical little cardboard circle, is a work of art. Lifting the candle from the box and discovering the matches, housed in a box the same color as their tips, and plenty long enough to light a candle even when it’s burned low, sparks that little something-something, that pleasant knowing that you have, indeed, received a curated gift that happens to be a candle.
From the business model to the candles and matches to the gift giver and recipient, DUET reflects its name.
“DUET candles feel good to purchase, to give, and to receive,” Jodie says, summing up the DUET experience.
To learn more about DUET and the IDDeal Foundation, visit their websites, DUETcandles.com and theiddealfoundation.org.
