Hand-poured candles creating career pathways for refugees.
Photo credit: Relume
Relume is a mission-driven candle company in Olympia, Washington, creating paid employment and leadership pathways for refugees. Founded by friends Karima Bassalé and Rand Roedell, the social enterprise grew from witnessing newly arrived refugees face barriers to steady work, including language requirements, missing local references, and limited U.S. job history.
Refugee candlemakers hand-pour Relume’s soy candles using phthalate-free fragrances, cotton wicks free of lead and zinc, and reusable jars made from recycled Spanish glass. Sales, bulk orders, Light & Learn gatherings, and the Common Hope monthly subscription help sustain employment while giving team members opportunities to practice English, earn income, build work history, and strengthen community connections.
Employment-based social enterprise. Relume sells artisan candles and subscriptions to finance accessible, paid jobs for resettled refugees. Its workplace model combines income generation with paid English practice, U.S. work experience, references, leadership development, and community connection. Environmentally conscious product choices, including U.S.-grown soy wax and reusable recycled-glass vessels—add a responsible-consumption dimension to the model.
Relume publicly profiles two of its first refugee candlemakers, Eiman and Maguno. The company reports shipping candles to customers across 40 U.S. states. Its team also provides paid workplace English-learning opportunities, while its candles use reusable jars made from recycled Spanish glass. Relume does not currently publish cumulative figures for jobs created, wages paid, employee retention, English-learning hours, or jars reused.
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