Be|Lumos

Our Story

PUT A CORK IN IT

Finding the flicker of possibility in a humble yet miracle material…

We are Bret & Ethan, friends for over 20 years going back even before we worked together at Target’s Minneapolis headquarters. In May 2019, we gathered with several former colleagues to celebrate the wedding of our sustainably minded friend Elisha whose stylish wedding table décor leaned vintage and recycled, down to the placeholders she made by repurposing Champagne and wine corks. As the dancing wound down and everyone wished these newlyweds well, we noticed all the cork left behind. Not knowing what we would do with it, we asked to take some home.

Days later, burning a standard, store bought candle, we wondered: could cork somehow replace the traditional wick? That simple question set us on a quest to build a better candle. Sourcing only from nature, we committed to make ours organic, WITH SOUL AND WITHOUT WASTE. 

Curious about cork, we began by doing our homework. This eco-friendly, biodegradable material regenerates every nine years. Farmers then strip off the bark from the cork oak tree, carefully so their tree is not damaged. To be doubly sustainable, we work with liquor stores and distributors to upcycle their bottle corks to become Be|Lumos's singular wicks.

Learning about the booming candle market, on the other hand, left us stunned. We felt even more motivated to create a healthier alternative to this ubiquitous product that often invades our homes with toxic chemicals and pollutants harmful to humans.

You could say that out of one love story (yes, Elisha & Marc are thriving) emerged another.

Starting with our hypoallergenic, low emission and upcycled cork wicks, we added high-grade organic coconut-soy wax, sustainably harvested mica and premium essential oils. We even encase each candle in a reusable, food grade vessel made of borosilicate glass, the safest on the market. Yet this story really centers on our hero, the sublime, sculptural flame produced by our patent pending cork wick. Get ready for a totally different burn experience as our flame metamorphoses in intensity and shape, from moment to moment, captivating, calming and even inspiring as it dances.

It took thousands of hours over more than three years, not to mention more than a few smoke alarm sirens set off along the way but now we are proud to introduce quite possibly the first significant innovation in the scented candle in recent times…

Be|Lumos: Be = exist, thrive. Lumos = light (in Latin).

From our earliest experiments with those wedding corks, we envisioned creating a great candle at a fair price. Credit our formative years at Target, aka Targé, for prompting us to ask why should something have to cost a lot to make us feel exceptional? Offering the most luxurious candle at the most accessible price made sense to us, because we believe that everyone deserves comfort.

By this, we truly mean everyone.

Dear to our hearts is Be|Lumos's mission to bring comfort to our customers and to others in need. Imbuing our candles with this sense of purpose feels as important to us as each all-natural ingredient. Donating 30% of our profits to mental health support services means that your Be|Lumos candle not only improves the quality of your day, but also helps to transform lives.

MEET THE FOUNDERS

“We believe everyone deserves comfort”

Donating 30% of our profits to mental health support services means that your Be|Lumos candle not only improves the quality of your day, but also helps to transform lives.

Ethan & Bret

MEET THE TEAM