Shopping & Retail
Fontana Candle Co. crafts clean, non-toxic candles everyone can enjoy
Handcrafted with non-toxic beeswax, coconut oil, and pure essential oils, Eric and Katie Roering are advocating for a cleaner and healthier home.
When you take a former chocolate buyer for Wilbur and the co-founder of a local dog care business, you’d be surprised at where Eric and Katie Roering’s career journey has taken them. Both had a strong pull towards entrepreneurship when they met, and nearly a decade later, they are the proud founders of Fontana Candle Co.— a household name in Lancaster and an Inc. 5000 fastest-growing company.
“After we met in 2015, we eventually wanted to own something together,” Katie shared. “But we had no idea it would be candles.”
When they got married in 2017, a friend gifted them a name brand candle that smelled great but left them both with terrible headaches after just one day of burning. After some extensive research, the Roerings were horrified to find all the toxins commonly found in these popular products. The dilemma of finding an alternative piqued their interests, and candle-making became their Thursday date night activity.
“Eric spearheaded the ingredients research and learned the science of it all,” Katie shared. “When we decided on beeswax mixed with coconut oil, it took us over 150 different tries to get our blend just right.”
Eric and Katie also decided on an all-natural wooden wick so their non-toxic candles would be completely clean burning, and by 2018, they had officially launched Fontana. They started small, attending Lancaster markets and slowly building an e-commerce website. By 2021, the business had gained enough traction to support them both as their full-time jobs. “Five years into doing this full-time, we have 19 people on our team,” Katie mused. “It’s crazy to think candles are supporting all these families.”
In the last year and a half, Katie and Eric have been focused on building out their leadership team, as well as preparing for a move to a larger location that will allow them to automate some of their manufacturing process—which will make them the largest all-natural candle manufacturer in the country. “This is about so much more than making a candle to smell good. We’re making a candle that people who are sensitive to chemicals and fragrances can enjoy and those with cancer can feel confident lighting during their treatments,” Katie emphasized. “That’s really what has kept us going— our mission.”
This article is sponsored by Northwest Bank.
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