Our Story
Creating spaces that bring a sense of comfort and calm to the overwhelm of life is something I've always worked to achieve in my home. Home fragrance and candles are a path for this, along with too many pillows (according to my husband), blankets and warm, cozy textures. What can kill that vibe? Clutter. And nothing creates more clutter than a ton of empty candle jars.
Most of us don't have the time or the energy to continually stand and peel labels to prep empty jars for recycling or the ideas to upcycle or repurpose them. At the rate I burn candles, it never takes long for clutter to start to accumulate. This, along with the negative impact I was having on the environment if I didn't recycle every single jar was starting to get to me and it's really what started this journey for me.
The earliest idea for Noura Blanc, was simple. Create an eco friendly, sustainable candle. That led to my idea of a refillable option. As I often do, I immersed myself into research and spent a lot of sleepless nights figuring out how to make my idea a reality. Eventually, my knowledge of product production increased and ultimately helped shape the entire vision of this company.
As I started researching the process of making a candle, I learned about the toxins found in most paraffin based, big box candles. What I was burning in our home wasn't safe for me, my family, my pets or the environment. Creating a non-toxic, refillable candle, became the name of the game.
An important part of that process was the vessel, (that's fancy talk for the candle jar). I wanted an artisanal jar that was classic and minimalistic, with an elevated aesthetic that was so stunning it would be impossible to not want to keep that beaut on display, and more importantly, a complete travesty to toss it in the trash. I wanted to focus on the craftsmanship of our candles and quality, ethically sourced, materials. Unique, non-toxic full bodied, scents (no pumpkin spice here) and a clean burning, sustainable wax were also must haves.
After months of starts and stops and a tremendous amount of swearing, I was able to bring it all together and I launched my first collection.
While I loved the jars from our first collection, I quickly realized that I needed to find a way to create the jars myself, in house. Turn around time, design options and shipping prices all played a roll in convincing me. I turned on some charm and asked my husband, Jon, to join me in the creative process and I was fortunate that he agreed. He perfected the process of creating the concrete jars and set up production and got to work. He has mastered the skill of concrete design and the jars we have in our collection now are 100% handmade by him and they are stunning.
I love the contrast between the concrete materials our jars are crafted with, and the smooth, creamy luxurious, coconut wax our candles are made with. The contrast of those two products separately couldn't be more substantial, but they come together creating a beautiful candle that I am so proud to bring to the market.
Noura Blanc is a brand that is driven by purpose and backed by people. We source our materials from other small businesses and find the collaboration and support in the industry is one of the best things about being a small business ourselves.
We are focused on prioritizing self care, sustainability and slow living through our products and our brand. We firmly believe that in a country that glamorizes hustle culture, our homes, and the spaces we spend our time, are the reprieve we need at the end of each day to become unbusy. We believe it's important for those spaces to be a safe and comfortable landing spot for us to slow down and connect with ourselves and those who join us there.
Thank you for joining us on this journey.