Some local students are lighting rooms and lifting spirits with their product line.

Mrs. Margot Arnold's Entrepreneurship 30 class this semester at Weyburn Comprehensive School is in the candle business: Luminate Candle Co. They're not just any kind of candle, however - they are made from sustainable, naturally sourced ingredients, contained in lidded jars for convenience.

Whereas the previous semester's business was able to sell products for Christmas presents, this group's timing enables them to capitalize on three key gift-giving seasons: Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Graduation. 

The candles contain affirmations unique to each scent.

Co-president Owen Klein shared that he has struggled with his own mental health, especially during COVID.

"So I thought it was a good way to bring mental health support to Weyburn by just giving a little boost to people's morale and just make them feel good in a sense, by not only smelling a great scented candle but also to look at the candle and see an affirmation that tells you a positive thing about yourself and just try and boost your mental health a little bit."

Luminate will, in fact, be donating 10 percent of their proceeds to Envision Counselling & Support Centre. 

"Our candles use all natural [ingredients]. The scents are all from essential oils, the wax is made out of soy wax, which is the most sustainable wax out there, and our wicks are wood wicks, so they are recycled wood and they crackle when they burn," explained Co-vice president of production, Jonas Burdan.

Co-president Kaitlin Demchynski shared why they went with natural ingredients.

"It's something we knew to do, but also when we were starting up the program, Junior Achievement likes to focus on like all-natural and environmentally safe stuff, so we wanted to focus on that, too."

They said everyone in the class works on the business, with candle production taking place at the school during class time. 

"We in charge of the different parts, so in production, I know not only am I supposed to be making the candles and everything like that, but I have to be supervising everybody else to make sure that quality is on par with what we believe in as a company and just to make sure that everybody's still staying productive," explained Burdan.

"Our process right now is getting closer and closer to being as streamlined as we can," he added. 

Their slogan is: "We want to illuminate your life one candle at a time."

A single candle sells for $20 and the order deadline is June 10th.

"Then our Father's Day gift basket, which is $50, includes three candles of your choice," explained Klein. "Our specific Father's Day scents that we just came out with are Saintly Summit, Endearing Evergreen, and Cake and Cafe. The Cake and Cafe is kind of like a coffee with a hint of cinnamon kind of going towards a carrot cake kind of scent; the Endearing Evergreen is your typical Christmas tree smell, and the Saintly Summit is kind of an outdoorsy, fresh air with a little bit of 'man' behind it."

He added they also have a Graduation bundle for people to gift to anyone who's graduating this year, which is two candles for $35. 

The candles can be ordered directly from a member of the Luminate Candle Co., or through the WCS office, or via Facebook messenger or email to wcsluminate@gmail.com. They are also on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, under 'WCSLuminate'. 

"We will soon have products on shelves and order forms can also be found at York Jewelers and Stranger Danger Candy Co."

They accept e-transfer, cash, cheque, and will soon have a Shopify account for those who prefer to order online, and you can also find the order forms at the bottom of this article.

Klein explained the majority of their supplies came from Amazon, with the essential oils coming from a company in British Columbia that he said has worked with them on making the overall process easier. 

"They've been very kind to us for kind of giving us stepping stones to make this work." 

Klein said he was already planning to enroll in a business program at SAIT in Calgary prior to taking Entrepreneurship 30. 

"So taking this class has kind of boosted me in the direction of assuring me that I do want to enter into the business field, and this has shown me kind of an entry-level of how things kind of work in a business sense, and it's kind of steering me in that direction of how I know things and then it will just build off of this," he shared. "I'll have this experience under my belt to go for my future, so it really helps being in this class, especially when you look into going for a business future. I would recommend taking the class at WCS."

The students said they've also appreciated the help of Mrs. Arnold with this business venture. 

Klein added, "We really appreciate the support of the Weyburn community."

luminate form

form