Babita Khanna, Founder & CEO at Bee Celebration

Great Companies: How did you get your idea or concept for the business?

Babita Khanna : I am very fond of scented candles. Once I was travelling back from Canada and got a beautiful Rose flavored Beeswax Candle. I really liked the fragrance and tried to purchase the same in Delhi NCR.

But to my surprise I could get paraffin candles, some stores had soy wax candles also but couldn't find Beeswax candles even in renowned stores. There I saw a big opportunity in the scented beeswax candles business in India.

Great Companies: What are the various services provided by Bee Celebration?

Babita Khanna: Bee Celebration produces very high-quality Beeswax Aromatherapy Candles with essential oils. We have got 6 fragrances in scented candles category i.e. Morning Rose, Forest Lavender, Indian Jasmine, Fresh Lemongrass, Ylang Ylang and Divine Lotus. Soon we are introducing a spice range which would again use only essential oils for fragrance and no chemicals. These fragrances are Spicy Orange, Vanilla, Vanilla Cinnamon and Cedar wood Clove.

We are also introducing Mosquito Repellent Candle which would be made of herbs, beeswax and essential oils only. This mosquito repellent candle would be made with natural ingredients only and would be safe for kids and people allergic to chemical scents.

Apart from this we have got Puja Category. The Puja Category contains 3 products which are Durga Saptshati Puja Candle, Asht Lakshmi Puja Candle and Shani Dev Puja Kit.

In Durga Saptshati Puja Candle we have tried to accomodate all 56 ingredients which are dear to Maa Durga and is mentioned in Sri Durga Saptshati which is part of Markandya Puran. This candle contains extract of 22 herbs like shatavari, ashwagandha etc, 5 essential oils, 9 types of flowers, beeswax and other ingredients. It is decorated with Kum Kum, Kesar Petals and pure Silver leaf.

Asht Lakshmi Puja Candle contains 18 ingredients which are dear to Maa Lakshmi and is decorated with Kesar Petals and 24K gold dust.

Shani Dev Puja Kit contains 40 items including Shani Yantra, Shani Chalisa, Ashtgandha Chandan, Rice and 6 weeks supply of all 6 items which are dear to Shani Dev like sesame seeds, iron ring, Urad pulse, black chunri, Jaggery/Mishri and Puja Diya. This puja diya is made of 17 ingredients which include Beeswax, Mustard oil, Sesame Oil, 3 essential oils, 5 herbs, resins, camphor, supari, paan leaves and blue orchid flowers. The herbs and essential oils used in diya have therapeutic value and create a positive aura when lighted.

Great Companies: What makes Bee Celebration different from hundreds of other similar service providers?

Babita Khanna: Bee Celebration candles are completely organic and contain only 3 ingredients viz. beeswax, essential oils and coconut oil. We do not use any chemicals in our products. We use cosmetic grade beeswax and cold pressed coconut oil. Beeswax and essential oils are procured from a renowned manufacturer which is known for their quality,

We get cold pressed coconut oil directly from Kerala. These candles have got therapeutic value and are loaded with health benefits. Infact burning beeswax candles produces negative ions in the vicinity which attracts toxins and clear dust and dander in the air.

Each candle comes with a leaflet which suggests which all diseases are cured by inhaling beeswax and that particular essential oils vapors. All Bee Celebration candles can be burned by those with allergies and by those who are sensitive to strong chemical scents.

Great Companies: What were the struggles and challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?

Babita Khanna: Our candles are a little expensive as beeswax costs 3-4 times the paraffin cost and more than double the Soy wax. Also essential oils costs much more compared to normal perfume used in scented candles. Therefore, we have kept very low margins in order to make our candles more affordable. We want more and more people to try our candles and take advantage of aromatherapy.

Great Companies: How do you plan to grow in the future? What does 5 years down the line look like for Bee Celebration?

Babita Khanna: In the coming months we are introducing small trial packs of our beeswax candles. This would cost less and let new users try our product at lower cost.

We are also introducing soy wax candles with essential oils for people who prefer Vegan products. This range would be priced moderately so that more people can relieve their stress and get benefits of aromatherapy.

In the next 5 years I see Bee Celebration to become the first choice of consumers for Quality Scented Candles. All Bee Celebration Candles would maintain high standards that would not only produce compelling aromas but would also be loaded with health benefits.

Great Companies: If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?

Babita Khanna: Meet high standards of product quality, keep studying market and consumer demands and make adjustments to your product line periodically to match customer requirements. And above all, believe in your product and believe in yourself.