The motto of the Ajello Candle Company is “It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness”. This candle making company has been in business since 1775. The business has been family owned for seven generations. The candles from Ajello’s are well known for their beauty and quality. While they make more candles now than in 1775, their dedication to quality and to customers has never changed.
The Ajello Candle Company was founded by Rafael Ajello, an Italian painter. He was also a beekeeper, so he tried his hand at using bees wax to create candles. He worked hard to create a formula that worked well. The formula, combined with his outstanding artistic ability, lead to the birth of the Ajello Candle Company. In 1785, the company earned the honor of creating all the candles for the Vatican. He and his wife ran the business, keeping their children involved in the processes from an early age. As time went on, their children and grandchildren kept the business running as well as passed the family business on to their children. By 1862, the company had established itself as a leader among the candle making industry. They had also added perfumes and many colors to their line of outstanding candles. The decided to extend the business to Manhattan, New York. In both places, the business prospered. Kings and aristocrats in Italy wanted the services of the Ajello Candle Company. They designed candles for weddings, funerals, and ceremonies. They made the candles for the inauguration of the King of Spain in 1876, Pope Pius IX in 1878, and Pope Leo in 1902. Hollywood stars and rich people in Beverly Hills California wanted the candles from the Ajello Candle Company as well. Candles were also ordered by President Roosevelt, Charles Lindbergh, and Rudolph Valentino.
In 1922, the Ajello Candle Company made a memorial candle for their deceased friend Enrico Caruso. This candle was 18 feet tall and weighed more than a ton. It is estimated this candle could burn 24 hours a day for 1,800 years before running out of wax. This enormous memorial candle remains the largest one ever made in the world. Each year it is lit twice to honor the day Enrico Caruso was born and the day he died.
The Ajello Candle Company continued to grow and sells were well beyond anticipated both in Italy and the United States. In 1953 the company was asked to create 2,200 candles for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. The company was honored to meet the request, and had all the candles ready in six months. The Ajello Candle Company was approached to be bought out, but refused. The family wanted their candle business to remain just that, not a major corporation. Despite the creative efforts of the Ajello Candle Company, they were not able to meet the demand for their candles in 1965 during the blackout in New York City. The age of computers has found the Ajello Candle Company offering candles via the internet. Ironically, as Rafael Ajello worked around the clock to make candles for this need, his wife was giving birth to their child at a hospital scrambling to find candles for her room. The Ajello Candle Company is still going strong today, offering quality candles that are beautiful as well as made of the best quality products. These candles can be purchased in many specialty stores throughout the world as well as on the internet in the comfort of our homes. This candle making business has spanned many generations, yet continues to hold the traditions and values of Rafael Ajello who started this business more than two centuries ago. Anyone who has access to the internet should take a look at www.ajellocandles.com. Your breath will be taken away at the gorgeous candles there. I have never seen such beautiful wedding candles or unique decorating candles. I have seen a lot of candles, and I was very impressed. While Ajello Candle Company has made many custom candles for celebrities and royalty, they are very willing to do it for you as well. Simply select what you want and they will provide you with the best quality candles ever made.