Nobunto, a fair-trade company from South Africa, is responsible for producing these beautiful hand-poured, hand-painted candles. They are crafted with care, attention to detail, and traditional techniques. The result is a high-quality product that has an interesting story behind it!
Their name, Nobunto, means “For the People”. It originates from the Sotho language which is spoken by almost 5 million people in South Africa and Lesotho. Today, the company employs mostly women in the small village of Napier, east of Cape Town, which guarantees income for 18 families.
Their mission is to help their impoverished communities by hiring local people to manufacture handmade goods such as candles, cards, and jewelry using African designs that will reflect the rich history of Africa. They also pledge to keep the business running in an ethical and sustainable manner.
The candles themselves start here, and the process to create these unique candles is a lengthy multi-step process. The candles are made out of high-quality wax and cotton wicks for clean burning, and no perfumes are added during the candle-making process.
The artisans in the studio have over 15 years of experience making and painting these candles. They use a variety of tools, such as brushes and sponges, to paint each and every candle by hand using only non-toxic color pigments. These tools allow them to make precise strokes and create those beautiful African-inspired patterns.
Here you can see the artisans expertly using tiny brushes to get the intricate details on these candles just right. Since each of these colorful pieces are painted by hand, naturally there will be some subtle differences between the patterns. You can be sure no two are exactly the same!
After all the hard work that was put in by the artisans, the candles are finally finished. There are currently seven rich, colorful designs to choose from! The names of the designs come from an African word or phrase:
Bongazi means "Simply Beautiful"
Imbali means "Flower" in Zulu
Inabuko means "Source or Origin" in Zulu
Matuko means "Elegance" in Swahili
Samaki means "Fish" in Swahili
Shahida means "Witness" in Swahili
Uzima means "Vitality, Vigor, or Energetic" in Swahili
Once the candles go through a final quality check, they are carefully wrapped and packaged to protect the intricate designs. Some are gift boxed using crafted recycled materials. Now, they are ready to be shipped around the world!
To see more about the styles and sizes of Nobunto Candles we offer in our stores, click here!
If you’ve purchased our Nobunto candles, please share your photos with us on Instagram at @southeasternsalvage or on Twitter at @SESHomeEmporium
We hope you found this blog on these South African Nobunto candles to be interesting and informative. Be sure to join our VIP Club to get the latest and greatest from our Home Blog!
-All- -Get the Look- -Style- - How It's Made- -Lifestyle- -Holiday-
This website is designed to give customers a general idea of the type of products we sell.
Products, Styles, Colors, and Prices may vary by store. Prices subject to change without notice.
If you are looking for something specific, please confirm availability and price with the store.
