The story behind Marèntho
From a kitchen project with 2 orders per week, to over 30 stores across the Netherlands and Belgium, and 20,000 cocktail candles made in 1.5 years.
Curious about the story? Then read on below.
The beginning of Marèntho...
In November 2023, I was sitting on the couch with my boyfriend, having just graduated with my HBO diploma. I knew I wanted to start something of my own, but I had no idea what exactly. It didn't necessarily have to be something commercial, more just something where I could express my creativity. My boyfriend then came up with the idea: "Why don't you make your own candles?" That got me thinking, because I've always been a huge fan of unique candles. Not long after, I ordered a few molds online and started experimenting enthusiastically. The name Marèntho is a combination of the names Marleen (me) and Thomas (my boyfriend).
More and more orders...
As soon as the molds arrived, I immediately started working enthusiastically. I quickly discovered how much fun it is to come up with something yourself and then see it come to life. In the meantime, I had built a webshop with my boyfriend so I could offer my creations online. Initially, my collection consisted mainly of candles in all sorts of playful shapes, like bears and seashells. Family and friends placed orders for Christmas, but soon orders started coming in from people who had found me online. That gave me the feeling: who knows where this could all grow…
The idea behind the cocktails...
I saw a video on TikTok of an American woman trying to make an Espresso Martini candle. I was immediately hooked; I wanted to do it even better! I'm crazy about these drinks. Full of enthusiasm, I did my research and gathered as much information as possible. Not long after, my very first Espresso Martini candle was a reality. The reactions were fantastic, and I quickly thought: if this works, I can actually make any cocktail…
The kitchen became too small...
Online orders quickly increased, which gave me a huge boost to keep making new cocktail candles. After the Espresso Martini, the Pornstar Martini candle followed. However, I soon encountered a practical problem: I simply didn't have enough space at home to produce everything properly. That's why we decided to convert the spare room into a kind of mini-factory. I bought larger supplies of glasses, wax, and wicks so I could continue making my creations in a more professional way.
Mother's Day 2024
Mother's Day 2024… what a crazy period that was. By then I'd built up a bit of a following on social media and came up with a great idea to promote our candles. I never expected that one TikTok video would get over 800,000 views. Orders poured in in no time. 400 in just three days! I couldn't believe my eyes.
However, this also presented a huge challenge. I didn't yet have a label printer, so all the shipping labels had to be created manually. That was a real nightmare. Eventually, I even had to temporarily put the webshop out of stock because I simply couldn't keep up. Our apartment turned into a huge mess: boxes and orders were everywhere, and production temporarily moved to the dining table because that was the most practical. Meanwhile, I had to urgently order new candle wax, glasses, and boxes, because my stock levels were completely unprepared for such an explosion of orders.
But despite the hectic times, everything eventually worked out. That period in particular made it clear how much potential Marèntho had, and from that moment on I decided: I want to take this to the next level.
Our first studio
Due to our enormous growth, it quickly became clear that we could no longer run Marèntho from home. We started looking for a place where we could take the brand to the next level. We soon found the Art Centre Aalsmeer, an inspiring environment where artists have their own studios to create and exhibit their work. It turned out to be the perfect place for us.
We moved in as soon as possible, and that marked the beginning of a new phase for Marèntho. From our own studio, we could continue to experiment, develop new cocktail candles, and at the same time show who we are. The best part was that people continued to find us interesting even outside of the hype. That gave us the confidence and motivation to continue this adventure with enthusiasm in 2025!
Physical stores
Meanwhile, shops also started stocking our products, and we received our first requests to include our candles in their range. How special is that? It felt like a huge honor to see that so many people were enthusiastic about Marèntho. Our candles are now available in over 30 shops across the Netherlands, and we've even reached a point where we have to turn down some requests. Something we never would have dared to dream of in 2023. Do you own a shop and would you like to sell our products? You can click here to leave your details.
New studio and future plans
Midway through this year, we realized that even our studio was starting to become too small. Fortunately, the Art Centre Aalsmeer wasn't standing still, and we heard that a new, larger studio would be built. For us, this felt like the perfect opportunity to further grow Marèntho and make even more people happy with our products.
One thing led to another, and now we're in this beautiful new studio, where we work on our brand every day. We're far from finished and have big plans for the future. Great things are coming, so be sure to follow us and don't miss anything of our story.
Best regards,
Marleen
