Song of Oya: Candles of passion

Posted on 14 April, 2016

Bec Cuzzillo describes her new candle business, Song of Oya, as one of her passion projects that she runs with her partner Matt Lowe.

Alongside candle making, Bec is a certified Angelic Reiki healer and speaking with Bec, it’s clear that she has a deep passion for the well being of others. After I attended the launch of Song of Oya at Tupelo Coffee Company in March, I caught up with Bec to discuss candle making, seasonal scents and collaborations.

“We were really pleased with the launch party!” says Bec. “We couldn’t have asked for a better bunch of people to celebrate with us and we were absolutely overwhelmed with the support and feedback we received on the night.”

Matt and Bec

Bec says that Song of Oya loves to support local, so the choice of venue and drinks on the night was an easy one.

“We were also really happy that we were able to serve local beer from Pact Beer Company and local wine from Four Winds Vineyard” explains Bec. “We are really excited for the opportunity to share the love with other local businesses. We also loved how perfectly intimate the venue was and are ever grateful to the team at Tupelo Coffee Co who let us take over their cafe for the night.”

Most people would see candles as a an essential part of everyday life, from the birthday candles of our childhood to the romantic pillars on a date night table, but most people don’t have the faintest clue as to how they’re made, including me.

“The process starts with preparing the candle jars,” explains Bec. “We do everything ourselves, right down to placing the wicks in each jar. We then melt the wax down to the right temperature before adding the oils and pouring each candle.”

“There’s a bit of science behind it – the wax can’t get too hot and you have to make sure you get the ratio of oil to wax right. After pouring the candles, it takes about 24 hours for the candles to set and then we can trim the wicks. They are ready to go once they’re labelled and their timber lid is securely in place.”

It’s clear from the launch that Song of Oya’s candles are made for diffusing perfume throughout the room, but how do you choose a scent for a candle from the thousands available?

“Initially we had a pretty good idea of the types of scents we wanted for our classics range and did some research based on the aromatherapy properties of different oils,” explains Bec. “For instance, our PEACE candle is lavender and mint. Lavender is well known for being calming and helping with sleep and relaxation, while mint is commonly used to soothe sore muscles and relieve headaches.”

In terms of materials, Bec and Matt wanted only the best, most natural products. “We like working with soy wax because it’s natural. Also, when compared to paraffin wax, soy typically burns for longer and carries the scent better,” says Bec.

Song of Oya’s classics range includes:

• Joy – Lime & Coconut
• Love – Brown Sugar & Fig
• Lust – Dark Amber & Cardamom
• Fresh – Green Tea & Lemongrass
• Peace – Lavender & Mint

“Our limited edition candles are a little different” says Bec. “For our current AUTUMN candle, we did some research to find out what fruits are in season during autumn and decided on apple cinnamon. Above all else, we want our candles to smell delicious and evoke a feeling in those that smell them.”

“All our candles come with their own affirmation card. We encourage people to say the words every time they light their candle – who knows what magic could happen?”

Bec hopes that as well as delicious scents, Song of Oya’s candles spread positivity throughout their new homes.

“Our hope is that people enjoy our candles as much as we love making them,” she says. “We started making candles as a creative project that we could enjoy together and are excited to see where it takes us.”

“Our plan in the short term is to have our online shop up and running as soon as possible. We will also be doing different markets around Canberra and some special pop up shops here and there.”

And in terms of making Song of Oya a household name throughout Canberra?

“Long term, we have a lot of ideas,” says Bec. “We can promise there’ll be more limited edition scents and some collaborations with other local creatives. We also plan to expand the range with tea light candles, soy wax melts and some new collections.”

the essentials 

What: Song of Oya candles
Where to buy: Via their website www.songofoya.com
How much: Candles are $25-28 each
Instagram: www.instagram.com/songofoya