(WBBM NEWSRADIO) - This week's Made in Chicago takes a look at a delightful product that was born out of a mother's moment of frustration at her son's birthday party more than a decade ago.
“I was watching the wax candles kind of ruin Graham's cake, and I just had this epiphany, like, ‘Why are the candles an afterthought instead of something just as important as the cake?’ Highland Park's Loree Sandler recalled.
She set out to create something better.
“I thought, ‘How hard can it be?’” Sandler asked.
Turns out, it was harder than she thought.
“It was the longest journey. I had no idea what I was in for,” Sandler said.
But after taking classes at The French Pastry School and the Chicago Chocolate Academy, Sandler came up with an edible chocolate candle, and her company, Let Them Eat Candles, was born.
“I was making everything by hand,” Sandler said. “My dad was cutting the wicks for me. I was really doing everything. I was the accountant, the shipper. I built my website. It was really a one-woman show with a little help from my friends.”
Sandler remembers the first working prototype fondly.
“It was a real Frankenstein of a candle, but, when I lit it,and it maintained a flame, and I could sing ‘Happy Birthday,’ and it was still going strong, it was the most exciting thing. I really can't even describe the feeling,” said Sandler.
The candles evolved to take on a sleek design, featuring a variety of colorful patterns meant to cater to all ages and occasions.
So, how do they work?
“Chocolate doesn't feel the wicks the way wax candles do, so our wicks are very short, they only penetrate the candle like a quarter of an inch, so by the time you sing and blow it out, there's just a little nub that you pluck out, and the chocolate stays solid,” explained Saddler.
People can then eat the candle.
“All along, people would say, 'you should be on ‘Shark Tank,'’” Sandler said.
This year, that happened, leading to a boom in sales.
“Getting onto the show ‘Shark Tank’ was so incredibly validating.
The candles are now sold at hundreds of retailers, including bakeries, chain grocery stores, and Amazon.
“We've sold over a million and a half candles, and it's incredibly rewarding to think that people are celebrating with something that I thought up,” said Sandler.
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