One kinesiology class and a penchant for crafting changed the path of Holly Singer’s life. She turned a hobby into a career, and she used her business as a way to support people with disabilities.
“It wasn’t my intention to be an entrepreneur and business owner. I just wanted to go to work and have someone else tell me what to do. But I think the universe had different plans for me,” says Holly Singer, founder and CEO of Milk Jar Candle Co.
That different plan began with Singer’s practicum placement for her kinesiology degree. As part of her adapted physical activity course, she started swimming with Frazer, a teenager with cerebral palsy. As she got to know him and his mother, she learned about the obstacles he faced surrounding university and employment. The four-month placement turned into a seven-year relationship, and because of it, Singer sought out organizations creating more inclusive communities and spaces.
As a creative outlet in 2015, Singer began experimenting with clean-burning candles and unique scents. She enjoyed the process of making candles and the comfort of burning them, and after a year of perfecting her methods, she wondered if this interest had potential beyond her kitchen table.
“I started thinking about turning this hobby into Milk Jar and selling candles at markets,” says Singer. “I also wanted to use it as a way to raise money, donating a dollar from the sale of every candle to organizations that supported children with disabilities.”
From the start, she insisted businesses could be profitable while also creating meaningful changes for vulnerable communities. In Milk Jar’s first year, she surpassed her goal of $500 and donated $2,000 to programs Frazer used. Nine years later, Milk Jar has donated more than $500,000 to support inclusion initiatives.
As the brand grew, so did its workforce. Singer’s commitment to inclusion extended beyond charitable donations. She worked with Inclusion Alberta, Gateway Association and the DDRC to provide employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
“It’s really cool to see when employees that have always been turned down at jobs get a chance in your company, and they’re ready, willing and excited to come to work,” she says. “We hired two employees, Amanda and Lauren, and they’ve been with Milk Jar for six years, and they are our most tenured employees. It’s been really amazing to see how it’s brought so many benefits to our company.”
Today, about one-third of Milk Jar’s 14-person team has a disability. Singer built accessibility into the workplace through clearly defined expectations and training systems, flexible accommodations and a buddy system. She also hopes to move toward a four-day work week to improve work/life balance for all employees.
Singer says Milk Jar proves that accommodating employees doesn’t have to be expensive or onerous and actually improves the workplace experience for everyone. The company’s core mission remains to produce quality candles, diffusers, car air fresheners and shower steamers, while giving customers a reason to feel good about where they spend their money.
“Milk Jar is a vehicle to show businesses that if we can do it, they can too. If a little candle company with me with no business experience can do it, it’s something they should consider, as it actually helps their business. I’m happy to lead by example,” she says.
Milk Jar’s goal is to create inviting spaces, which it enables customers worldwide to do through retailers in the UK, Germany, Australia and across Canada. The company is known for long-burning coconut-soy wax candles, wood wicks that burn more evenly, dibutyl phthalate- and di-ethylhexyl phthalate-free fragrance oils, and creative scent combinations that evoke a feeling or tell a story.
Singer’s favourite is her first scent creation, Dandy. This combination of mahogany, firewood and pine reminded her of her grandfather’s cologne, the real Christmas trees they decorated together and the comfort of sitting in front of his fireplace. The catalogue continued to grow as she and the team experimented with new fragrance stories, including the limited-edition candle commemorating Milk Jar’s anniversary.
“We’re coming out with a special candle called ‘Cheers to 10 Years.’ The scent is ‘Smells Like Team Spirit.’ It’s orange blossom and cereal milk, sweet and warm and inviting. We only made a few thousand, and it’ll be a one-time make,” Singer says.
If those sell out, customers can try original favourites including Fresh Laundry, Hygge, Lemonade and Bohemia, along with other fruity, zesty, woodsy, sweet, floral, earthy and warm fragrances. Once a candle is burned, customers can bring the clean Milk Jar vessel or any heat-safe jar to the onsite refillery to refill it by the ounce at a discounted rate.
Another option is to create something personal at Milk Jar’s candle-making workshops. Guests develop their own scent in the factory and take home two custom candles. Workshops attract Christmas parties, team-building groups and friends to the factory with the bonus of store discounts and refreshments from the bar menu as they create their scent story. Milk Jar also works with corporate customers on branded candles with bulk discounts and individual shipping with personalized notes.
“We can put your branding on a candle, which is nice as a client gift. Not everyone drinks a bottle of wine, but everyone would love a candle on their table,” she says. “We could do some custom sets at 500 or more, but we will rebrand our scents for you on as few as 48 candles.”
Milk Jar has attracted considerable attention in its 10 years. The company received such honours as the Calgary Business Inclusion and Diversity Award and the Air Canada Community Champion Award and has been featured on local news. While Singer appreciates it, she hopes there will eventually be nothing unusual about a business built around inclusion.
“I’m really honoured because the recognition is important to create that visibility and put us on the map. But it would be really cool one day if we no longer won awards for this because we weren’t doing something different, and that inclusion in companies was the rule not the exception,” she says.
Until then, Holly Singer will continue to lead by example, creating amazing products, building a diverse workforce and giving back to make the world a better (and better smelling) place.