A Chat with – Orla Van den Bergh, Founder & Director of Max Benjamin

Established in the 1990s, Irish candle brand Max Benjamin has become synonymous with contemporary design, quality craftsmanship and the use of high-quality natural ingredients. Based in Enniskerry, County Wicklow, Max Benjamin is run by siblings Orla, Mark & David Van den Bergh.

Over the years Max Benjamin has grown to become a hugely successful Irish brand, paving the way for Irish Craft Businesses internationally and is swiftly becoming a household name in Ireland and beyond. This week we had a chat with founder Orla about the story behind the brand.

We’ll start at the beginning! Where did you develop your love for candle making and fragrances?

Interestingly, my love of candle making started from a summer spent in Florida on a working visa. I spent some time working in a candle shop in leafy park avenue, winter park in North Orlando. I was inspired by what I could create with this material and later returned to Ireland with candle moulds and wicks in my suitcase!

What motivated you to turn that passion into a business?

Upon my return, I sourced wax and along with my candle moulds began making a few multi wick oversized large candles for my home. I made a few also for friends and the word spread and soon I was making quite a number of these. I had candle parties to sell my wares that funded more purchases of wax. Soon, I saw that I maybe had the basis of a small business that was worth pursuing.

It’s really lovely that your business in named after your twin boys, Max and Ben was it difficult to decide on “Max Benjamin” as the name for the business or was it an easy choice?

My brother Mark actually came up with the idea and we felt it reflected an integral part that family plays in our business and it was also a name that could work well outside of Ireland.

What was the first candle that you created? And why?

When the company began we focused on large 2 ft and 3 ft multi wick candles. We participated in our first trade fair in London, Top Drawer, and were overwhelmed by the positive response from retailers. The candles were dramatic and for the premium market and there was not much competition in that space space at the time.

If you could only choose one scent to have in your own home – which one would it be?

Our new Provence collection has my favourite scent to date, Herbes Sauvages. I love it!

Your candles are all natural – why is this so important to you as the creators?

Our candles are made from 100% natural wax which we are very proud of. Our packaging is recyclable and our vessels can be recycled at the bottle bank. We are constantly working on improving our sustainability. It’s important to us.

When it comes to choosing candles and diffusers for the home, what advice would you give people?

Everyone is different but I love to have the same fragrance throughout my home and change it up with the season. Diffusers are particularly effective as they passively fragrance in a subtle way. I just need to remember to top up with my refill every three to four months. In the mud room, where the dogs sleep, I use a different fragrance as I want something strong to mask dog smells; I use Grapefruit and Pomelo but believe Lemongrass & Ginger would work well too. They can also mask strong smells from the kitchen.  I use candles in my bathroom when we are entertaining and the fragrance is always commented on.

A big thank you to Orla for taking the time to chat with us about the story behind Max Benjamin. You can discover Max Benjamin Candles and Diffusers in M&B stores nationwide or online> Shop Max Benjamin S