About us

Our farm

We are located in a sunny valley along Sardine Creek in Southern Oregon. The land was homesteaded and farmed by the Smith family beginning in the eighteen hundreds. They moved on to a smaller farm and we established Hinode Farm, LLC in 1980. Here we raised our son and daughter and began our candle making. We made our first beeswax candles at the Waldorf school our children attended more than twenty years ago.

We keep areas for forest and grassland refuge for wildlife. Ducks, two great blue herons, and deer gather at the pond. The fields and forest are home to many squirrels, coyotes, and many birds of all colors and sizes.

Surrounding our home are bushes of lavender and roses for potpourri. Larkspur, pansies and coral bells grace the flower beds to be collected for our candles and note cards. The flowers compose a brilliant palette of colors and are gathered each spring and summer day as the sun warms the morning dew. All the flowers and herbs are grown with only natural fertilizers, no synthetics are used. The aphids are removed with lady bugs and lacewings coming to our aid and we hand weed the garden. We water only from a well and our location is isolated, thus avoiding any drift of chemicals from other farms.

We care for and nourish the land as we plant and harvest the treasures of the earth. We are delighted to be growing herbs and flowers and making beeswax candles which bring joy and beauty to life.

Pure beeswax vs paraffin

Paraffin is a petroleum byproduct which may contain toxic chemicals. Petroleum is the end product of the decomposition of ancient plants and animals. Various additives may be used in candles, such as stearic acid to improve burning time, polymers to make the wax harder, hydrocarbons to bind oil and pigments, fade inhibitors, mold releasant powder, synthetic scents and color dyes. Candles may be called beeswax if they contain only 51% beeswax and 49% other waxes and additives, so beware of mixtures.

	Order information: Phone: 1-888-855-1932 Fax: 1-541-855-2065 orders@hinodefarm.com Hinode Farm, LLC: P.O. Box 305 Gold Hill, OR 97525

Our pure beeswax

The honeybees begin their year pollinating almond orchards in late winter. In spring they buzz in clover, mint and alfalfa fields. When their hives are full of honey in summer, they return to their honey house to have their honey extracted and wax collected. We are very fortunate to receive our wax from one beekeeper who saves the beautiful capping wax for our candles. The honey and beeswax are collected with care to keep each colony healthy. When the bees make beeswax,it is white and the vibrant amber color is due to the pollen which enters the hive on the honeybees legs. They spend their winter at the bee yard where they are nurtured to be ready for another year of synthesis and transformation.

Through winter, plants hold latent vitality in buds, bulbs, seeds and roots; in spring they emerge to begin their growth. Trees, shrubs and plants then blossom and provide nectar for the honeybees to collect and convert into honey. They must visit approximately one million flowers to produce eight ounces of honey which they must consume to produce one ounce of beeswax, which emerges as tiny scales from the wax glands on their abdomen. This complex process is truly incredible, a miracle. Plants and insects survive without us, but we are totally dependent on them. In each drop of beeswax and light of each candle, we sense the wholeness of the universe. We see honeybees, fields of flowers, nurturing earth, blue sky, warm sunshine, wind, and clouds bringing rain; all in natural harmony.

Our candles

Each candle requires a particular size and type of wick and a certain air, wax and mold temperature. We use three types of cotton wick: flat braid, square braid and paper core wick. Because of the toxicity of metals when burned, we do not use any wick with metal core, which could be lead or zinc.

For each new candle of a different size or shape, we make ten progenitor candles which guide us to choose the right environment. If we have chosen the correct temperature, the candles will have a smooth surface; if not, the candles will crack and have blemishes. If the wick is the correct size (we use 8 different sizes), the flame will be just right to allow the candle to burn properly. The wax temperature necessary can vary only five degrees in the range from 145 degrees F to 180 degrees F, some candles needing a low temperature to avoid cracking and others needing a high temperature to avoid blemishes. If we are listening to the messages the progenitor candles are sending us, we will know which conditions each will require and a cheerful, ideal candle will appear.