The two young designers offer their candles at special events, with prices ranging from $5 to $30, depending on the size of the candle. (Rights reserved)
Elissa Bou Ghosn is 23 years old and in her third year of graphic design at the American University of Science and Technology (AUST). Iyade Creidi is 29 years old and is studying marketing and advertising at the Arts, Sciences and Technology University in Lebanon (AUL). Together, they created Emberly Bliss, their own brand of handmade candles from simple recycled bottles.
Juggling skillfully between their studies and their young business, the two students have been living at a particular pace since launching their project just over a year ago. “Now, we each have three days of class per week at university, and the other days we work, even on weekends,” shared Bou Ghosn. A couple for five years, the duo, also involved as volunteers in the Civil Defense at the Jdeideh station, now aspire to become “the first startup specializing in upcycling and the anti-waste trend,” said Creidi.
Committed to a sustainable development approach and a circular economy, the two new entrepreneurs “revive” containers and glass jars collected, adding scented wax. Thus, they offer products combining utility and commitment. Environmentally friendly, their candles are entirely handcrafted. They are made with organic soy wax, 100% plant-based and eco-friendly. “Even better than recycling, we offer a second life to these objects,” said Creidi. “We want to raise awareness of the importance of 'doing things differently' by offering products that transform the act of purchasing into a meaningful gesture,” continued the young man who, after many wanderings, oscillating between training in aircraft maintenance and business management, seems finally to have found his passion.
“The idea of starting my own company had been on my mind for some time. But the idea of collecting glass bottles to turn them into glasses or containers germinated in my mind as I worked in a pub in Mar Mikhail. I knew that plastic waste was recycled, but I wondered what we could do with the heaps of glass bottles piling up and the potential they held. That's when I had the epiphany!” he recounted. Beyond, there was also this quest for meaning, this search for something sustainable, this urgent need to return to a manual craft, to be in touch with one’s own creations, to handle his own creations.
Tutorials on YouTube, videos, web research, visits to glassblowers to learn the techniques needed to cut a bottle with a glass cutter. Creidi put everything in place to achieve his goals, alongside his studies, but also a career in the real estate sector. “Working with glass is not easy. It's very meticulous and delicate. It requires a lot of precision,” he pointed out. “My first attempts were not very successful and ended in failure. I injured my hand,” he recounted with an amused tone. However, determined to acquire real know-how, this self-taught individual eventually learned, through hard work, perseverance and passion, to reshape bottles and turn them into designer containers.
Simultaneously, Bou Ghosn also turned into a candle artisan. “I made inquiries, took some training workshops and studied the wax-making process. It came from practicing,” she confided. “I naturally turned to crafting non-chemical candles, with varied colors and scents, better for our environment.” It was thus a journey of several months marked by attempts, successes and failures, before finding the right recipes, the right techniques. But also the right place. Because initially, the duo did not even have a place to exercise their talent. The lack of funds did not stop them. “We sometimes worked in the stairway of my parents' store, sometimes in the attic of my family home, and too often our parents and friends helped us transport the bottles we collected here and there,” shared Creidi.
An art of living
Drawing from their savings, the two students gradually acquired the necessary equipment before finding an unfinished apartment in Ain Saadeh that they left in its raw state and transformed into a workshop. Working on their business model, Elissa applied her graphic design skills, creative and technical: creating the visual identity, aesthetics, logo design and labels. Iyade relied on the knowledge acquired at university to focus mainly on marketing and advertising: a collaboration with the Dhour Choueir Beer Festival here, an exhibition there. Along the way, they learned hands-on how to network, communicate, participate in events, build relationships and maintain connections to develop their business. They especially learned that the path to success is rarely linear and setbacks can turn into opportunities. “Sure, we may not have the same production capacity as a factory or a large company, and we may not position ourselves well in the diversity of consumers, but what we do goes beyond the simple trend,” said Creidi. “It is a real artisan work that not only allows you to innovate and sharpen your creativity but also allows you to reduce waste and therefore the impact of humans on our environment. It is an art of living.”
While today the two creators offer their candles at specific events with prices ranging from $5 to $30 depending on the size of the candle, they are preparing to expand their range of products: coffee cups, ashtrays, snack bowls... the list is long. “We are just getting started, and designing a new range of products in tune with the times is already under development,” said Bou Ghosn, full of ambition for the future. Later, they hope that large stores and local shops will carry their product lines.
In the meantime, you can follow them on their Instagram account: Emberly.Bliss.
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