Startup Spotlight: Lala Candles
Huda Sarhang is a culture enthusiast and designer who founded Lala Candles company in 2017. As a graduate of politics and international relations who was inspired by her research on soft diplomacy to launch a project that promotes the Kurdistani culture. she sought to create beautifully designed candles at an affordable price point.
Originally from Erbil, Huda studied Politics and International Relations at the University of Kurdistan Hawler and holds an MA degree in Politics and International studies. After working a series of jobs in the Humanitarian and educational sector, her desire to work in a creative field led her to study the art of candle-making informally in 2017.
She decided to make candles for her use in her new house and as gifts for her family and friends with very basic candle-making tools ordered from abroad since it was challenging to find these tools locally in Kurdistan. This led her to become deeply obsessed with the art of candle making. From here, her story started to be one of culture and heritage.
We are Lala Candles Company. The first Handmade candles in Kurdistan Region. Our mission is to create candles with captivating scents, beautiful cultural designs, and the best ingredients. Essentially. Our goal is to create a beautiful product that promotes culture and makes a perfect gift to expats and locals going abroad and looking for a suitable gift that reflects the local culture. The lack of high-quality handmade souvenirs was the force behind this unique idea. This led us to manufacture better and more quantities and offer white label candle service to companies and institutions.
We use 100% soy wax derived from soybeans for an eco-friendly and clean burn. Our candles are petroleum-free and 100% vegan. We are an eco-conscious company, opting to use recyclable packaging and shipping materials and as little plastic as possible. Each of our candles is wicked, poured, and labeled by hand from start to finish by our team of artisans.
You can find Lala Candles on Instagram, Facebook, or visit their website.