Our premium, all-natural, hand-poured Amish farmhouse soy candles are crafted from soybeans that were harvested right here in the Midwest. These extra-scented farmhouse candles are each hand-poured by the Bontrager family right here in our local Amish community and feature the perfect combination of natural wax, 100% cotton wicks, and clean, fresh fragrances to give you the best possible scent throw from your candle.
Premium Soy Candle Making - An Amish Family Affair at the Bontrager Home:
Each scented soy candle we sell is handmade in very small batches in the Bontrager family’s home. Over the years, crafting the best-smelling mason jar candles has been an integral part of life in the Bontrager home. The entire family contributes to the creation of every candle.
The process starts with Mr. Bontrager loading the kitchen table with the mason jars and the box of pure soy wax that will be used to make today’s candles. The two oldest daughters soon get busy washing and drying each of the jars and the lids that will be used for this candle batch.
The youngest children begin their journey into the family tradition by carefully setting each wick into the dry jars. (Since this involves using stickers to hold the wicks in place, this is great fun for the youngsters.)
Then it's Mom's turn as she measures the wax into her double boiler to bring it up to the proper temperature. While she does this, the older daughters are carefully measuring out the coloring and the scents that will be used in this set of candles.
Once the proper wax temperature is reached and the scent and dye are stirred in, one of the older daughters is in charge of patiently watching over and stirring the pot of wax as it cools to the correct pouring temperature. She knows her part is important since the Bontrager family is known for its wonderfully scented candles. The scent must be evenly distributed throughout the soy wax.
Once the proper pouring temperature is reached, Mom or Dad takes over again as they slowly pour the wax into each jar.
After all the jars are filled, all the children add the temporary sticks on the top of each jar that holds the wick in the center of the jar while the wax sets up. Next, several hours later, the oldest daughters use scissors to snip each wick to the proper length and screw on the lids that they had washed earlier in the day.
One last job for the youngest children, and since it involves stickers, they are more than thrilled to do it. The youngsters are in charge of sticking the candle labels on the lid of each decorative candle and then sticking the warning stickers on the bottom of the jars.
Why Do The Bontrager Family Not Use Candle Jar Labels?
"Wisdom enables one to be thrifty without being stingy, generous without being wasteful." - Amish Proverb.
In keeping with a long Amish tradition of conserving whenever possible, the Bontrager family has never applied labels to the sides of their candle jars. They use high-quality mason jars and premium candle wax, so they believe that each candle's natural beauty can shine through on its own without any additional embellishments. Additionally, the idea of only using a quality mason jar once is nearly unthinkable. After each candle has been enjoyed, they fully expect each jar to be reused with a standard, regular-mouth canning lid to process jams, store food, or possibly find use as a beverage glass. By not applying a sticky label to the jar, recycling of the mason jars that hold their candles is much easier and far less messy.
