Coast Candle Co.

02 August 2025

A story of scent-led memory and the nostalgia of a place we can call home.

In the wild Scottish Highlands, Founder of the Coast Candle Co. Janis MacLean has long created the most evocative candle scents, which have now led her to some life-changing collaborations. Here’s her story.

My journey started I guess, when I studied Complementary Therapies at college in 2004 – aromatherapy was among the subjects we studied and I just loved the essential oils and the power behind them. It was my first ever introduction to alternative medicine and I loved it.

At the time, I was a self-employed wedding planner, which I would continue to do for another few years, alongside my part-time practice as a therapist. In 2009, I was on maternity leave and having left my wedding planning business (it was time to move on), I wondered what was next. I was also very conscious that Christmas was not too far away and being out of work, I wondered what I could make as gifts, to save money (I’ve always loved making since a young age) and essential oils/fragrance featured high on my list.

I did start out with a plan to make perfume, but due to more stringent safety testing and costs, I decided to go down the route of candle making instead, regulations were less rigid then and scented candle making was still relatively new. So I did my research – I’m completely self-taught with the exception of a short online course a few years down the line, and started making candles! My candles were very well received at my first Christmas market and the rest as they say, is history.

Like many, I started my journey at the kitchen table and evolved over the years, from candle parties, to an online presence in the early days and then physical shops.

Each scent is designed to spark connection, nostalgia and presence.

At the moment, my ‘team’ consists solely of me and my lovely family when I rope them in.

Over the years, I have had a business partner and a fabulous team of staff who worked in the shops and also a great team of consultants who hosted candle parties for us. However, if you look outside the traditional meaning of team, I do still consider myself to have a brilliant group of colleagues, who I continue to work with, (perhaps not as full-time paid members of staff, they too are self-employed business people) and they are definitely still part of the Coast journey. They include my marketing guru, our local printing office, my local website management team and of course my book keeper and accountant. As I now work from home, my mascots include 3 cats.

I now work from home and prefer it that way. Over the last 15 years, we have had 3 retail shops – the first being in Dornoch, where we were located for 5 years and started our real journey into retail.

My business partner and I then parted company and so I moved the business down to Nairn which is where I have lived for nearly 20 years. I opened another high street shop in June 2019… just a few months before the world was turned upside down. This of course had a massive impact on the business and in May ’22, I closed the shop on the high street and moved into a smaller workshop only space. I did however, open up another smaller shop front in that workshop, but footfall was too low and so once again, I shut up shop in August 2023.

I now attend markets, events and workshops at various locations, on a mobile basis. If I’m honest, I much prefer this way of working – I like the flexibility and freedom to work around my life. I’m lucky enough to live right beside the beach and so most mornings, I will take a walk along the sea front to help clear my mind and set myself up for the day ahead. Occasionally I’ve been known to take a dip in the sea too.

I occasionally like to listen to podcasts that will help me in my business, sometimes my Spotify playlists (Country being my favourite), especially if I’m making and other times it’s Ken Bruce on the radio 😊

In short, I use scent as a way to feel connected, whether that’s to memory, place, self or others.

When I made my first candles, it was all about putting my aromatherapy learning into practice, using the power of scent for therapeutic benefits. However, as I learned more about fragrance and the way it made you feel, I realised there was much more to it.

As we developed new fragrances, we realised the connection between scent (our strongest sense) and memory, and it brought so many childhood memories to the fore, which is the inspiration behind my brand. I loved exploring the stories that arose and decided back then to dedicate our scents to real memories. I create candles and scents that become memory markers, bringing people together through familiar fragrances and stories that matter. Each scent is designed to spark connection, nostalgia and presence.

As a backstory, the reason the business is called Coast (Candle Co.) is not purely because of coastal location, but because I grew up in a little township called Coast. We lived right on the coast (Wester Ross in the Highlands) and our actual address was No. 12 Coast. My childhood home, my childhood memories, my connection, my place, my self.

As we were reading through the final memories, scents, and emotions, there were tears.

There have been many highs and lows throughout the journey so far, but the most memorable for me (and it’s nothing fancy or fame-related), is when Coast Candle Company really found its purpose – when we began exploring why we do what we do. I remember it so clearly. We were sitting in a meeting with our marketing person in Dornoch, working on how to present our candles in a way that truly captured our message. Our goal was to connect with others by helping them open up to their own memories through scent. It all came down to those memories.

When we were creating our scents, we spent so much time reflecting on how they made us feel. That’s really the heart of Coast, the way scent can unlock emotions, stir long-forgotten memories, and touch places in the heart we didn’t even realise were closed off. As we were reading through the final memories, scents, and emotions, there were tears. It was so heartfelt, it became a memory in itself – the moment I truly understood the deep connection between scent and memory.

Another memorable moment was when we partnered with Alzheimer Scotland to develop a charity candle, raising funds for their organisation, and providing workshops for people living with dementia. To work with an organisation which is so aligned to our values is a fantastic opportunity. The notes chosen for their candle were selected by workshop attendees and it was a privilege to be able to listen to their shared precious memories. (The candle is available to purchase on our website and you can also read more about the project on our blog page.)

I’ve also been lucky enough to feature on two brilliant TV programs; the first with Kirstie Allsop on Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas in 2018 – making an advent calendar with candles… it was at a time when I had to take a break from Coast, but it was an amazing opportunity. The second occasion was in 2020 when Coast was featured on the BBC’s ‘A Very Country Christmas’ with Ellie Harrison – the exposure was incredible and it was another amazing opportunity for Coast Candle Co.

Other special moments include the opening of our first shop, our trip to Ikea and the fun we had kitting it out, speaking events where we would share our story, candle parties, Christmas shopping nights and more. And of course, the not so special moments include events such as closing our shops, changing the business structure, almost throwing the towel in… but that’s business and to be honest, everything worked out for the best. The ups and downs, highs and lows, I don’t think I’d have it any other way. More recently, I’ve had another great ‘up’ moment, collaborating with a global whisky brand to develop four fragrances to match their products. That’s a real pinch me, validating moment.

I’m a traditionalist at heart. I love where I come from, my heritage and community. Of course, my values include sustainability, family, kindness, an ethical business, flexibility and freedom, but for me, I do what I do, to preserve human connection and wellbeing. Today’s world is fast, we consume too much information, we think we should be ‘doing’ all the time, instead of just being. I want people to remember, if only for a few minutes a day and to feel their memories.

Through our scents and our candle making workshops, I bring people together to (re)connect, relax and share. My website shares the following vision and mission statements, which I hope explains my why.

Vision To honour and promote heritage, culture, human values, and our ‘connectedness’ to life’s never-ending stories, with scented products that we hope will bring joy and a modicum of contentment in a sometimes-confusing world. Our vision is set in the past but firmly committed to a better future for all of us.

Mission To create and sell exquisite hand-crafted products, ethically produced and made with love, for people who connect with our views on heritage, culture, human values, and life’s never-ending stories. We talk to the human experience through scent and fragrance, igniting memories and past experiences that hopefully trigger wellbeing in every individual that encounters a Coast Candle Co. product.

The future for Coast Candle Co. continues, with hopes and plans to create new fragrances inspired by familiar memories and there are projects in the pipeline which will enable us to share and preserve memories and stories which will become part of our heritage for many years to come.

Coast will also continue to build upon our ever-successful candle making workshops, which I’ve been hosting since 2011, offering full day sessions and mini retreats which will use scent to enhance memory health and wellness, entering a new era of mind-body healing.

IMAGES ©Coast Candle Co. 2025

I remember being fascinated by the gentle crackle of your wood wick candles many years ago, it’s wonderful how our paths have crossed again Janis.

Your product seems to have found a special sweet spot where nostalgia, scent and memory meet, I loved reading about your work with Alzheimer Scotland. -Lyndsey

Readers can use code ARTISANFOUNDER15 for 15% off before 31st August 2025. *Excludes the Alzheimer Scotland Charity Candle.

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