Skip to main content

KEAP Candles: Get Them While They’re HOT!

If you’re planning out some resolutions for 2016, you might want to light a candle, create a soothing atmosphere and take some inspiration from the success story of KEAP candles. Company founders Stephen Tracy and Harry Doull set a $25,000 goal to put their designer candles into production, but by the time it ended on November 25, the total had risen to a whopping $57,427 contributed by 753 backers.

KEAP founders Harry(Left)_Steve(Right)Tracy and Doull both moved to Manhattan at the same time and became roommates their first year in the city. They lived on Keap Street in Brooklyn, which is how they named their company. They both had worked for Google in Europe—Tracy in London and Doull in Paris—before both transferring to the company’s offices in NYC. As their friendship developed, they discovered a shared love of burning great smelling, designer candles in their apartment. The only problem—sticker shock: as Tracy says many of the best candles they were finding were $65 to $70 or more per candle.

Recommended Videos

They wondered if they couldn’t do the same thing and keep the cost lower by selling direct to consumers on their website. “We wanted to find out why they cost so much, ” said Tracy. “Other companies do wholesale distribution with lots of people taking money along the pathway to the consumer. Our aim is to just sell online to keep the cost more affordable. Eventually we hope to have our own stores where people can see the candles being made.”

It’s been a year since they first started tossing around the idea of creating a candle company. “We started investigating why some people use paraffin wax, why others use soy wax, as well as finding out other things to use,” said Tracy.

They began experimenting with coconut oil wax and eliminated use of artificial elements like colored dyes (you don’t want to be breathing that). They also solicited the help of a family run perfumer in New York to help them come up with the best aroma blends. They worked with them for nine months to nail down the first four fragrances, which are available through the Kickstarter campaign: Wood Cabin, Hot Springs, Waves, and Green Market. While there are different reward levels, a single candle is available for $25. Once the Kickstarter campaign is complete, the candles will retail for $28.

They are starting with four different candle aromas and have six more they are experimenting with. They plan on capping the number of different candles at ten. “Our reasoning is that the number of options can become overwhelming in some products,” said Tracy. “We want to take 10 things and let you find your favorite.”

Keap candlesBoth men left Google in July turning their full attention to building KEAP and hand pouring the candles in their studio space in Brooklyn. Their obsession over details has led to a product that is environmentally friendly and easy to recycle. Once the candle burns out, you can easily turn the glass into a whiskey decanter by cleaning out and peeling off the no-residue label.

While the goal of any company is to make a good profit, Tracy and Doull are invested in giving back to make a difference in the world. “We’ve partnered with SolarAid, which is a UK-based charity, to bring sustainable light to those who don’t have electricity,” Tracy said. For every candle sold, they support the distribution of a solar lamp to a family in need.

Marla Milling
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Marla Hardee Milling is a full-time freelance writer living in a place often called the Paris of the South, Sante Fe of the…
Cigar etiquette 101: Dos, don’ts, and modern manners
Please don't be that guy. Here are the cigar etiquette mistakes that scream 'amateur'
well-dressed guy smoking on a couch in the dark

Walking into a cigar lounge for the first time feels like crashing somebody's secret club. They've got this unspoken language, weird rituals, and enough unwritten rules to make your head spin! But here’s the thing—cigar etiquette is not some gatekeeping nonsense to try to make you look dumb. It's about respecting the process, the experience, and not being the person who ruins everyone else's vibe.Whether you're new to this or have been faking for years, this guide will sort you out because there's nothing more likely to ruin a good smoke than someone who clearly has no idea what they're doing.

The basics: Respecting the ritual

Read more
The first movie from Materialists director Celine Song just found a new streaming home
The movie is a brilliant look at the roads not taken.
The cast of Past Lives

Few directors have a debut feature that's as splashy as Celine Song's. The director, who now has Materialists in theaters, had a breakout hit at Sundance called Past Lives that took her all the way to the Oscars. Now that Materialists is in theaters and doing quite well, you might want to catch up with Past Lives, which was one of the best movies of 2023.

The film stars Greta Lee and is told in episodes that span more than 20 years. It starts in South Korea, and follows two Korean children who are clearly close friends and may even have a romantic spark as one of them prepares to move to Canada. Then, we follow their story over decades as they come into and out of each other's lives until they're both in their mid-30s and they reunite for a day in New York City.

Read more
Jeremy Allen White was born to run in the first trailer for Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
The movie follows Springsteen as he makes his album 'Nebraska.'
Jeremy Allen White in Deliver Me From Nowhere

Music biopics are all the rage these days, and Bruce Springsteen is the latest icon to get the treatment. The first trailer for Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere sees The Bear star inhabiting the role of The Boss. The film is based on Warren's Zane's book of the same name, which focuses on the period when he was making his 1982 album Nebraska.

The film is directed by Scott Cooper, who also directed Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart. In the trailer, we see White embodying Springsteen as he sings "Born to Run," and we also get a lengthy monologue from Jeremy Strong's Jon Landau as he explains why Springsteen feels the need to make this album.

Read more