How Covid-19 has affected Swazi Candles and what you can do to help
If you are a fan of ethical, handmade goods (which we hope you are!), you’ll most likely have come across our beautiful Swazi Candles before.
They are probably one of the most famous exports of the mountain kingdom of Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland). Coming in many shapes and sizes, these colourful candles have been crafted by talented local artisans since the launch of the Swazi Candles company.
We’ll introduce you to its rich history below and highlight the huge negative impact Covid-19 has had on its business and the local economy since 2020. Luckily, there are a few simple things you can do to help them!
In this blog post:
- Humble beginnings: candles in a cowshed
- How Swazi Candles are made
- The effects of Covid-19 on candle production and workers
- How you can help
Humble beginnings: candles in a cowshed
In 1982, two enterprising South African art graduates launched Swazi Candles in an old cowshed of a former dairy farm.
Their small workshop in the beautiful Malkerns valley soon gained a great reputation for producing exquisite and unique candles. It quickly started attracting many visitors, including travellers from abroad.
Importantly, Swazi Candles was also a founding member of the Swaziland Fair Trade Association (SWIFT). This means that its workers have been enjoying benefits such as a living wage, health care, pension funds, clothing, food and transport allowances, educational loans, funeral insurance and access to training programmes. They are also involved in the decision-making process of their company and receive a share of the profits.
The business flourished and, by early 2020, the small cowshed had grown into a large factory employing 45 permanent staff. The Swazi Candle Centre was a popular tourist attraction, with other artisans, souvenir shops, a restaurant, and a market nearby.
How Swazi Candles are made
Many people wonder how the intricate designs are made. The artisans use a traditional glasswork technique called ‘Millefiori’ to craft these fair trade candles. This technique was first used to craft glass beads in ancient Alexandria and later perfected by glass-makers in Italy. However, since the late 20th century, the technique has also been used with other materials, such as wax or polymer clay.
The outer layer of Swazi Candles is made from hard paraffin wax. (For an interesting discussion about the use of paraffin wax vs. soy wax, see this article.) As it is so tough, it doesn’t melt as easily as the softer inner part (which means that you can even reuse the bigger candles by placing a tea light into the shell). As the candle burns down, the flame illuminates the colourful exterior pattern.
So, how exactly is the hard, patterned wax layer made?
1. The liquid wax is dyed and then cooled into sheets. Factory workers then cut them into strips and layer them to form certain patterns.
2. The layered strips are then extruded and sliced into veneers.
3. The artisans warm the veneers and then expertly hand-sculpt them into the desired shape (e.g. elephants, turtles, or geometric shapes).
You can see a video of the whole crafting process below.
The effects of COVID-19 on candle production and workers
Swazi Candles is undoubtedly one of the most successful companies in Eswatini and therefore has been playing a significant role in the local economy.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, 70% of Swazi Candles’ income came from tourists. When the country locked down, tourism fell away completely, which hit the factory and its workers extremely hard.
Strict measures were put in place and artisans and most other employees weren’t allowed to work at all.
The factory shut down. Without external sources of income, such as government subsidies or furloughing schemes, Swazi Candles even had to sell one of their workshops to keep paying their workers during the first complete lockdown.
Asked what impact this has had on Swazi Candles’ staff, Precious, the Packing and Quality Control Manager, confirms that the situation has been “very, very difficult”. “We thought it would just be 2 months or 3 months… even now [in May 2021] most of us have to stay at home.”
The first lockdown delayed goods that had been ready to be shipped in March 2020 for around seven months. Karakorum made sure to pay all orders fully in advance to help the artisans and the local economy.
However, even after the strict lockdown, business hasn’t yet gone back to normal. Christina, a packer working at Swazi Candles, said in May 2021: “Our shops have just opened, but, no, we don’t have lots of customers coming to buy, because there are no more tourists coming…. It’s very bad.”
How you can help
Eswatini is still one of the poorest countries in the world. Even before Covid-19, over 40% of its population lived on less than US$1.25 per day. Because of adverse climate conditions and low agricultural productivity, poverty has been widespread.
The pandemic has worsened this. A rise in unemployment and poor living and healthcare conditions has also led to a relatively high Covid mortality rate.
With new waves of Covid, the future is still uncertain for many companies in Eswatini, including Swazi Candles.
So, what can you do to help Swazi Candle workers like Precious and Christina?
Follow these three steps:
Step 1: the most obvious way to support Swazi Candles is to buy their products. They’re gorgeous, ethical and affordable – it really is a win-win!
If you need inspiration for fair trade gift ideas, you can view and choose from a large variety of their unique candles online, e.g. beautiful elephant and mini pillar candles or geometric pillar candles, to name just a few.
Step 2: an additional, quick way to support fair trade products is to connect with both Swazi Candles and ethical suppliers like us at Karakorum online. Share our stories and products on your social media posts with your friends! This is free and will help spread the word.
Step 3: finally, you can also donate to SWIFT to support the local economy. Even small amounts are appreciated. Thanks!
Swazi Elephant Candles
£15.00 – £22.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pageMini dinner candle sets
£15.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pageChristmas Mini dinner candle sets
£15.00 Select optionsBlue Delft candles
£7.00 – £20.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pageRhino Candle
£14.00 – £22.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pageSmall Flowers Candle
£7.00 – £14.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pageAfrican giraffe candles
£8.00 – £14.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pageOwl Candles
£17.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
