Meet the Maker: We Chat the to Owner of Luxury Home Fragrance Company Fox Cub & Co
Fox Cub & Co is an independent (and eco-friendly) interior fragrance company who source the finest ingredients from small businesses across the UK to make their luxurious range of handcrafted candles, diffusers, melts, soaps and lotions
Tell us what you do.
Fox Cub & Co is a luxury interior fragrance company who design and handmake everything in the UK. We use 100 percent soy wax in our candles and melts, and all of our products are hand finished with wildflower seed embedded labels, so you can plant your label when you have finished with your products!
What’s your background?
My background is in the fashion industry and, alongside hand-pouring home fragrances, I still freelance as an art director and stylist. I feel it has really come into its own when I was designing the labels and the all-round aesthetic for my brand in keeping the brand clean, classic and chic.
Where do you find inspiration?
I’m a real foodie, and I love the combination of flavours and fusions of different dishes from around the world, using this as inspiration to mix fragrances and finding unusual combinations that work perfectly together. A lot of fragrances you feel might not work together often complement each other beautifully.
Where do you source materials?
We source our materials as local to the UK as possible, with a focus on using other small brands so we can support them on their small business journeys too!
Tell us about your typical day...
Coffee. The very first point of call on a morning, followed by a brisk walk with our 10-year-old Jack Russell. After a short commute to Fox Cub & Co HQ, we have a quick catch up on emails and go through our online and wholesale orders that need despatching on that day. I’m forever making lists so I don’t get overwhelmed or forget anything, so – after a quick stock take – I spend most of the afternoon ticking off jobs on my numerous lists, or pouring product, labelling and re-stocking our shelves! If we have any events or shows coming up I normally take an hour out to start planning and designing how our stand will look – there’s a lot of work and planning that goes into each of our events to make everything look beautiful! After a tidy up and a final cup of coffee, we lock up HQ and head home for the evening.
What’s your favourite thing about what you do?
I love creating fragrances and new products. Being experimental and starting new projects for fragrance launches is probably my favourite part of what I do, followed closely by attending events up and down the country – we love catching with our regular customers and, of course, love meeting new ones too!
What’s the hardest/most challenging part?
I have always found it quite challenging to find time for myself; it’s very hard to switch off as I am so passionate about my business and moving things forward that I often forget to do things for myself. Taking a step back from the business to have a day off is one of the hardest parts.
Favourite product of your own?
We have two favourites in our household: we tend to opt for the candle in the Santal fragrance and the diffuser in the Dark Honey, Tonka + Tobacco fragrance. When we are out at pop-ups and shows, people often say “your house must smell lovely” – well… yes, yes it does!
Are you looking forward to Living North LIVE?
Always! It is such a fantastic show and we have built up such a lovely and loyal customer base – everyone is so lovely! We are so excited to be debuting our four new fragrances for 2024 at the Living North LIVE show, all available in candle, reed diffuser and wax melts – we think they will go down a hit!
How do you relax?
We are lucky enough to have just relocated the business back up North, and we live on the doorstep of some of the UK’s most beautiful countryside, so a good, wholesome, long country walk followed by a bubble bath and of course a Fox Cub & Co candle to help fully switch off and relax!
Favourite place to walk in Yorkshire?
I grew up in a small Yorkshire village called Golcar, so going back home and walking a family-favourite route, down the cobbled village streets and up onto Bolstor Moor is a must. If you hit Bolstor Moor Farm Shop at the right time too, you can stop to have one of their award-winning pork pies just as they come out of the oven! There’s nothing better!
An item I couldn’t live without...
Not an item as such, but I have to say the one thing I couldn’t live without is my partner (in life and business) – I couldn’t have embarked on this adventure without him!
Best snack for a long journey...
Wine gums! It’s a guilty pleasure and a must have snack for a long journey, although one packet doesn’t last very long!
