Candlehand Q&A - From Lithuania with love

Candlehand is een leverancier van het eerste uur bij De Kadoning. 
Wij zijn enthousiast over hun prachtige kaarsen en verhaal, en willen dat daarom graag delen met jullie!
Hieronder een interview met Gabriele van Candlehand (de dame voor de kijkers rechts van mij op de foto). We plaatsen dit in het Engels, want ons Leetowers is niet zo best...

Q: For anyone who’s never seen your products before: what is CandleHand in one sentence?
A: At CandleHand, we “say it with a candle” Whatever you want to express, we’ve probably already turned it into wax!

Q: Where did the idea of hand-gesture candles come from? Was it a ‘lightbulb moment’ or a slow burn?
A: One of our founders (Justinas), grew up learning the candle‑making craft from his father, who made beeswax candles. One day, in his garage, he thought, “Why not cast a middle finger?” And voilà; CandleHand was born. It has been the bestseller ever since.

Q: You’re based in Lithuania. How does your local culture or environment influence your designs?
A: Lithuanians are generally calm, quiet souls which makes it the perfect place to create candles that… aren’t. Let’s just say our products sometimes make the locals blink twice.

Q: Your website says your candles are 100% handmade. What does that actually look like in a normal workday?
A: Imagine a small team of makers pouring, polishing, and packaging each candle by hand. No big machines, no shortcut tricks, just real craftsmanship, a lot of wax, and probably a few jokes about burned fingertips.

Q: Can you walk us through the process from real hand to finished CandleHand product?
A: We start by choosing the best materials for each collection — high‑quality wax, wicks, colorants, everything. When we develop a new design, we test different waxes, wicks, and techniques to make sure the candle burns beautifully and holds its shape and color. We create our own 3D models, produce the molds, then teach local makers how to mix, pour, demold, polish, and wrap each candle to perfection.

Q: Be honest: do people actually burn your candles, or do they live on a shelf forever?
A: Most CandleHand gestures become decor — and honestly, we’re fine with that. If you want something to burn daily, we have CandleCan, 3D Tapers, and ChattyCandles for that kind of action.

Q: Your most famous candle is the middle finger. How did that one become such a hit?
A: It went viral immediately and is still our best‑selling gesture. Everyone knows that moment when you wish you could raise that one finger — our candle just lets you do it in a more creative, slightly safer way.

Q: Where did the idea for the Baby Hand Gesture candles come from? Cute or slightly creepy... or both?
A: Exactly that mix! We loved the contrast: an innocent baby hand making a bold, cheeky gesture.

Q: Do you have a personal favorite outside the middle finger? Which candle do you display at home?
A: The green Italian gesture; elegant, stylish, and just a bit dramatic. Perfetto.

Q: What’s the weirdest reaction you’ve ever seen when someone first sees your candles?
A: People either burst out laughing, take a step back, or pretend they saw nothing at all. No in‑between.

Q: What are the most popular gifting occasions for CandleHand products?
A: Christmas, birthdays, business gifts — basically any moment when you want to congratulate someone or surprise them with something truly unforgettable.

Q: Do you have a favorite reaction story of someone receiving a CandleHand gift?
A: During Covid, a girl ordered a “You Rock” candle for her mother, who was working crazy hard at the hospital. Our warehouse accidentally shipped the middle finger instead. A newspaper even wrote an article about how rude the gift was. Oops — definitely not intentional.

Q: If CandleHand were a person at a party, what kind of guest would it be?
A: The bright, loud, funny, attractive, unforgettable one; the person you talk about on the way home.

Q: How do you approach sustainability and fair production?
A: We hand‑make everything in Lithuania under EU regulations. We hire local people in a small town, offer motivation programs, and make sure our workers care about the craft as much as we do. Ethics first, always.

Q: Do you collaborate with artists or other brands, or is that something you'd like to do more?
A: Yes! Our first artist collaboration is in the works — a limited edition collection is coming.

Q: Finally: what should people know before buying their first CandleHand candle from De Kadoning?
A: It will be a gift they’ll never forget — whether they light it or display it like the bold little art piece it is.

Ben je benieuwd naar de beruchte middelvinger van dichtbij, of op zoek naar een cadeau dat niemand anders durft mee te nemen naar het feestje?
Bekijk dan onze volledige CandleHand-collectie bij De Kadoning en verras iemand met een kaars die ze niet snel zullen vergeten of ze ’m nu aansteken of ’m op de boekenplank laten shinen.