Truckee’s Rescued Wine candles illuminate second life for bottles
Twice
a week, Craig Davies picks up large bins of used glass bottles from
casinos in Reno and brings them back to Truckee, where he picks through
the recyclables to find green Wycliff Sparkling Wine bottles. The tops
of the bottles are cut off and put into recycling once more, while the
bottoms are used for his candles. This commitment to recycling and
sustainability is one of the reasons that Rescued Wine now sells to more
than 600 retail stores nationwide and in four countries.
Davies, who also owns Tahoe Candle Company, has been selling under the Rescued Wine moniker for just two years, but the business has expanded exponentially. In addition to the hundreds of stores nationwide and the 10 stores locally that carry the product, the candles are also sold in Canada, Japan, the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos. The local company even scored a contract to sell its candles with the Steal Your Face logo on them, exclusively on the official Grateful Dead website, dead.net. The Grateful Dead candles will be available mid-October.
“This has taken off so much. We take it one day at a time,” said Davies, who runs the company with his wife Amy. “We’re busy and at full capacity. We will be working from now until Christmas.”
Davies, who used to own a retail candle shop in downtown Truckee, said he likes using wine bottles as candle bases because of the high quality, thick glass, which is hard to buy. Although there is more labor involved — each bottle is hand-cut, grinded, smoothed, and slapped with a label — Davies said he likes the idea of saving bottles from landfills and reusing a product instead of buying new. The company’s five employees go through 500 bottles a week on average, and during peak seasons they produce 1,000 candles weekly.
Additionally, the company uses 100 percent all-natural soy wax made from soybeans grown in the U.S., which Davies says gives the candles a cleaner burn — no toxins, carcinogens, or pollutants — and they burn up to 80 hours. The wax is heated and the candles are made by hand in small batches, 88 at a time. The candles have fragrances that are infused with essential oils that are also inspired by wine — cabernet (the best seller), champagne, chardonnay, citrus grove, merlot, palm sangria, pinot noir, Riesling, and sauvignon blanc.
Giving Back
In addition to focusing on the environment, Rescued Wine gives 2 percent of every sale to animal rescue organizations like the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe, Pibbles and More Animal Rescue in New York, and Muttville in San Francisco. Amy is a devoted animal lover and rescuer, and even rescued their dog Coco from a shelter in Fallon, Nev. The Rescued Wine logo sports a St. Bernard, which Craig says is a “Tahoe tie-in,” reminiscent of the mountains and ski patrol. Amy said the company combines both of their passions — hers being animals and his being recycling (Craig’s family recycles furniture in New York). The couple also has two children, Will and Makenna.
“We’re animal lovers,” Craig explained. “My wife volunteers at the humane society and fosters dogs. It’s a big component that we wanted to give back.”
Rescued Wine also sells a candle with the High Fives Foundation logo on it, and 50 percent of the proceeds from the sale of that candle go back to the local nonprofit.
“We really enjoy being a partner with them, mostly because their candles smell great,” said Becca Lefranowicz, outreach coordinator for the High Fives Foundation. “We appreciate that they use good ingredients and are environmentally friendly.”
And while Rescued Wine has taken off nationally, Craig says it still has a local focus. The company sells its candles at Truckee Thursdays, and offers spin-off products like necklaces and earrings only in Truckee.
“As we grow and sell nationally, our roots are here in Truckee,” Craig said. “We want to keep our roots in Truckee and give back locally.”
Rescued Wine candles are sold for $28 each and can be found at Mountain Hardware, Riverside Studios, High Camp Home, Abode, Tahoe Provisions in the Hyatt in Incline Village, Truckee River Winery, the Tahoe City Visitors Center, The Potlatch, the Village at Squaw Valley, and Whole Foods in Reno.
For Additional Info and to Purchase these nifty recycled creations: Rescued Wine, (530) 587-7947, rescuedwinecandles.com
Original Article: http://www.moonshineink.com/news/turning-wine-wax
Davies, who also owns Tahoe Candle Company, has been selling under the Rescued Wine moniker for just two years, but the business has expanded exponentially. In addition to the hundreds of stores nationwide and the 10 stores locally that carry the product, the candles are also sold in Canada, Japan, the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos. The local company even scored a contract to sell its candles with the Steal Your Face logo on them, exclusively on the official Grateful Dead website, dead.net. The Grateful Dead candles will be available mid-October.
“This has taken off so much. We take it one day at a time,” said Davies, who runs the company with his wife Amy. “We’re busy and at full capacity. We will be working from now until Christmas.”
Davies, who used to own a retail candle shop in downtown Truckee, said he likes using wine bottles as candle bases because of the high quality, thick glass, which is hard to buy. Although there is more labor involved — each bottle is hand-cut, grinded, smoothed, and slapped with a label — Davies said he likes the idea of saving bottles from landfills and reusing a product instead of buying new. The company’s five employees go through 500 bottles a week on average, and during peak seasons they produce 1,000 candles weekly.
Additionally, the company uses 100 percent all-natural soy wax made from soybeans grown in the U.S., which Davies says gives the candles a cleaner burn — no toxins, carcinogens, or pollutants — and they burn up to 80 hours. The wax is heated and the candles are made by hand in small batches, 88 at a time. The candles have fragrances that are infused with essential oils that are also inspired by wine — cabernet (the best seller), champagne, chardonnay, citrus grove, merlot, palm sangria, pinot noir, Riesling, and sauvignon blanc.
Giving Back
In addition to focusing on the environment, Rescued Wine gives 2 percent of every sale to animal rescue organizations like the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe, Pibbles and More Animal Rescue in New York, and Muttville in San Francisco. Amy is a devoted animal lover and rescuer, and even rescued their dog Coco from a shelter in Fallon, Nev. The Rescued Wine logo sports a St. Bernard, which Craig says is a “Tahoe tie-in,” reminiscent of the mountains and ski patrol. Amy said the company combines both of their passions — hers being animals and his being recycling (Craig’s family recycles furniture in New York). The couple also has two children, Will and Makenna.
“We’re animal lovers,” Craig explained. “My wife volunteers at the humane society and fosters dogs. It’s a big component that we wanted to give back.”
Rescued Wine also sells a candle with the High Fives Foundation logo on it, and 50 percent of the proceeds from the sale of that candle go back to the local nonprofit.
“We really enjoy being a partner with them, mostly because their candles smell great,” said Becca Lefranowicz, outreach coordinator for the High Fives Foundation. “We appreciate that they use good ingredients and are environmentally friendly.”
And while Rescued Wine has taken off nationally, Craig says it still has a local focus. The company sells its candles at Truckee Thursdays, and offers spin-off products like necklaces and earrings only in Truckee.
“As we grow and sell nationally, our roots are here in Truckee,” Craig said. “We want to keep our roots in Truckee and give back locally.”
Rescued Wine candles are sold for $28 each and can be found at Mountain Hardware, Riverside Studios, High Camp Home, Abode, Tahoe Provisions in the Hyatt in Incline Village, Truckee River Winery, the Tahoe City Visitors Center, The Potlatch, the Village at Squaw Valley, and Whole Foods in Reno.
For Additional Info and to Purchase these nifty recycled creations: Rescued Wine, (530) 587-7947, rescuedwinecandles.com
Original Article: http://www.moonshineink.com/news/turning-wine-wax
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