Meet INARA: Hand-Poured Candles from Milton, Now in Our Corporate Gifts

A corporate hamper usually leans on food, and for good reason. But not everyone on a client list eats chocolate, most teams have a mix of diets, and a branded mug tends to end up at the back of a cupboard. We wanted something for our corporate gifts that people would keep using after the snacks were gone, and we found it just up the 401 from our Mississauga studio, in Milton.

About INARA

INARA's candles are hand-poured by a two-person team in Milton, Ontario. Nina, the founder, started the business in an apartment with no budget and no staff. The name means light, and the brand has a strong personality to match.

INARA uses a coconut-apricot wax blend and pure cotton wicks, and describes its fragrance oils as free of phthalates and parabens. The candles come in amber glass jars meant to be reused once the wax is gone, for pens, brushes or a few stems of flowers. The scents are strong on purpose. In their own words, they "don't do faint scents."

Why a candle works as a corporate gift

Most corporate gifts are opened at the office and then either go home or don't. A candle is one of the few that makes the trip and then gets used, usually somewhere the person unwinds. It's also neutral in the way a client gift needs to be: there are no dietary questions, and there's no logo stamped across it.

There's a local side to it as well. A candle poured by hand at a small Ontario business has a story behind it, and that story is an easy thing to mention in the card.

Choosing a scent for people you don't know well

This is the part that takes some thought. With a client list or a whole team, you're choosing a scent for people whose taste you can only guess at.

For a broad list, go soft and familiar. Tofino (pistachio cream, golden jasmine and salted vanilla) and Eunoia (oceanic coconut, candied rose and blonde woods) are gentle enough for most homes.

For autumn and the holidays, Chai (maple drizzle, chai spice and brown sugar cream) and Toasty (espresso, toasted caramel and smoked vanilla bean) feel seasonal without being another pine candle.

Keep the bolder scents for people you know. Vesper is smoky, with tobacco leather, smoked oak and citrus rum, and Féroce leans spicy with cardamom, jasmine and musk. Both are lovely, and both split opinion. That's fine for a business partner you know likes that kind of thing, and less fine for forty people on a mailing list.

For a key client, INARA's Cozy Collection is worth a look. It's a set of three candles, Tofino, Chai and Vesper, with more than 135 hours of burn time between them, and it makes a generous centrepiece for a larger hamper.

How to add INARA to a corporate order

Mention INARA in your corporate quote request. We can add a candle to one of our corporate hampers, or build a hamper around one with the coffee, chocolate and snacks you'd expect. Tell us how many gifts you need, your budget per gift and roughly when they should arrive, and we'll come back with options and a price. We reply within one business day.

If you're planning year-end gifts, it pays to start early. Our guide to Christmas gifts at work covers timing and who to buy for, and corporate gifting in Ontario goes through the CRA rules on gifts to employees.

A tip to pass on with the gift

INARA's care advice is short and worth sharing. On the first burn, let the wax melt all the way to the edge of the jar so it doesn't tunnel, and keep that first burn to two or three hours. Trim the wick to about a quarter of an inch before each burn, don't burn it for more than four hours at a time, and stop when about half an inch of wax is left.

You can see INARA's full range at inaraflame.ca.