OUR MISSION
We love candles for their simple luxury and their ability to create the perfect moment. To create the highest quality candles, we invest in the art and science of scent and we house our candles in custom-designed reusable glassware for lasting beauty in your space. With this time and care, our candles bring a simple yet elevated experience.
Our other primary focus is creating sustainable jobs. From the start, founder Susan Mays believed our company could provide good jobs with fair pay, flexible hours, benefits, and advancement opportunities for women. Too often women work in unstable jobs, which is particularly difficult for single mothers. In making luxury candles, we want to benefit our customers, but also our employees, their families, and non-profits focusing on women’s livelihoods and health. In creating sustainable jobs, one woman stood out as our inspiration: Veta Nell Meade.
MEET VETA NELL
"My grandmother, Veta Nell (1917-2010), was a compassionate and bold woman. Veta (pronounced Vee-ta) Nell defied the norms of her time and created beauty in life. Her signature identity will be remembered forever. Simply put, Veta Nell cared for people, greeting everyone by their name to truly connect. Like many people shaped by the Great Depression, scarcity on the Missouri plains meant that reuse and recycle were her way of life. Similarly, Veta Nell worked for minimum wage and saved diligently, yet she was always generous with others. Veta Nell's savings enabled her family to have opportunities she never had. Veta Nell also held notable views on nature and self. She practiced ‘self-care’ to balance the difficult conditions of her life, advocating natural healing to soothe the mind and body. She cautioned against over-extension, favoring balance and long-term well-being. Veta Nell was particularly awed by the simple yet delicate elegance of the butterfly. Like so many aspects of her life, Veta Nell's outlook on nature, healing, and beauty was inspirational."
Veta Nell co-founder, Stephen Day
GIVING BACK LOCALLY
Like so many women now and before her, Veta Nell also faced hardships. As a very young woman, Veta Nell divorced an abusive husband and in 1937 became a single mother needing to care for and support her child. Today, women still earn lower incomes and do most of the caregiving work. That is why our company empowers women, both in the way we run the company and in the causes we support.
Local Highlight:
Veta Nell supports women's health and independence with contributions to Austin-based St. Louise House. Saint Louise House is a non-profit dedicated to the success of women and their children, in moving from homelessness to healthy and independent living. "Saint Louis House empowers women to overcome homelessness for generations to come."
The Perfect Candle comes with the perfect monthly newsletter. It's our guarantee to deliver unique gift and decor ideas, as well as keep you in the loop on new Veta Nell exclusives.
