Candle Oé x Maison Tchin-Tchin
Oh the beautiful candle! This collaboration is very close to our hearts because it allows us to introduce you to a beautiful committed brand, to offer you a sensory, olfactory and visual experience, and to signal the start of the harvest in some of the vineyards of our Oé winegrowers. Maison Tchin Tchin is the 1st French brand of candles with fragrances inspired by the aromas of grape varieties and with an eco-responsible design. Cannon, right? We tell you more about our meeting with Guillaume, the founder.
Discover the Oé x Maison Tchin Tchin collaboration here!
How was the concept of Maison Tchin Tchin born?
“The story of Maison Tchin Tchin begins in 2019 with the desire to offer a candle to my wife, who is passionate about design, decoration and perfume, for her birthday present. I was frustrated to find the same scents of candles in the same generic containers in stores. It was very far from the demanding aromas that I encountered on a daily basis in my job as a wine merchant and that I wanted to share with him. The idea of creating perfumes inspired by the aromas of grape varieties came to me during a blind tasting. I made the connection between the long minutes spent with my nose above the glass trying to identify the aromas and grape varieties of the wine and the time spent smelling all those candles.”
What commitments do you make for the planet?
“Our manufacturing methods feed on our requirement for the most eco-responsible production possible. It is out of conviction that we implement three commitments on a daily basis:
- Made in France . All manufacturing is carried out in our workshop in Nice: cutting and polishing of bottles, assembly of wax and perfumes, casting of candles, packaging and shipping. In order to limit our carbon footprint as best as possible, we select our partners with great care, favoring French companies recognized for their know-how (printer, cardboard maker, etc.). And our perfume concentrates are made in Grasse, the world capital of perfume, which is located 45 km from our workshop;
- Recycling and upcycling . We give a second life to wine bottles by mastering the cutting and polishing of cold glass. We have also chosen a protective case in recycled and fully recyclable kraft cardboard, and cork caps made from recycled wine corks;
- Naturalness. We favor the most natural materials possible: 100% vegetable soy wax without additives, cotton labels and wicks, and fragrances guaranteed in CMR (Carcinogenic, Mutagenic or toxic for Reproduction).”
From grape variety to perfume: what was your approach?
“My approach is to imagine and create real pleasant home fragrances: 0% alcohol, 100% perfume. Drawing on my experience as a wine merchant, I am inspired by the aromas of grape varieties that give off smells of fruit (pear, cherry, blackcurrant, grapefruit, etc.), flowers (rose, orange blossom, etc.) or spices (liquorice, cinnamon, etc.), subtly and harmoniously mixed with a few raw materials used in perfumery (opoponax, labdanum, white musks, etc.) in order to create stylistic and textural effects (feeling of freshness, rising notes and enveloping, powdered effect, etc.). It is an unprecedented harmony between oenology and perfumery. To achieve this, I carried out R&D work for 12 months and worked with a team of independent French perfumers to combine our respective expertise.
At the same time, I took training in the trades of candle maker and glass maker. This is how I conceive of entrepreneurship: mastering the know-how from A to Z, from design to production. It is in this spirit that I have chosen to internalize all the stages within our workshop in Nice, which is both a creation laboratory, a manufacturing and shipping workshop. We thus guarantee the same quality requirement at each stage of production with the best possible reactivity.”
Why did you choose an approach by grape variety?
“We mustn't forget that wine is first and foremost a fruit: grapes. In France, around 200 varieties of different grapes called “cépages” are grown, but only about twenty are mainly grown for winemaking.
In this first collection, I have selected the main French grape varieties for their singular and recognizable aromatic expression.
With Maison Tchin Tchin, I'm not trying to reproduce the taste of wine, this approach would necessarily be reductive and irrelevant for a home fragrance. My approach is more free and creative. It consists of imagining and creating real home fragrances without any notion of alcohol, drawing inspiration from the aromatic richness found in wine. It is also a new way of approaching the notion of tasting and discovering new scents.”
Where do you collect empty wine bottles to upcycle?
“We work with real downgraded wine bottles which are intended for scrapping and which we collect from restaurateurs, glassmakers or wine estates.”
What are your ambitions for the years to come?
“Creating new perfumes, imagining vintage fragrances, designing new designs, diversifying our partnerships with wine estates and luxury hotels, and exporting the French art of living all over the world.”
How to change things on your scale, in your own way?
“Understanding is the first step to act. Let's start by making the ecological transition a real topic of discussion to have real exchanges, without judgement: questioning ourselves honestly, listening to what others have already put in place and learning from it in order to integrate eco-gestures into his daily life. We all have to learn from each other and everyone can act at their level for the planet.
This spirit of sharing, generosity and optimism is important to us at Maison Tchin Tchin. This is what encourages us to see in actions of anti-waste and donation concrete and direct solutions to change our behavior. This is also what motivates us to interact with other companies to share our best practices and discuss the sustainability of our productions to manufacture products that respect the environment. The collaboration with the Oé teams is the perfect illustration of this!”
Why this collaboration?
“Oé and Maison Tchin Tchin share the same passion for wine and have the same vision of positive impact entrepreneurship.
Thomas the co-founder of Oé and Guillaume the founder of Maison Tchin Tchin are part of this new generation of entrepreneurs who defend a benevolent vision of society and move the lines for responsible consumption.
Our collaboration takes place in the field of:
- Innovation: Maison Tchin Tchin is the first French brand to conceive the alliance of oenology and perfumery with such a high level of olfactory R&D requirements, eco-responsible production entirely carried out in its workshop in Nice and elegance of design;
- The commitment: Oé is the 1st wine brand to reintroduce the deposit in France and to become a company with a mission beyond its B Corp certification;
- French craftsmanship: we both defend French culture and craftsmanship with the same pride. Oé celebrates the work of winegrowers in all regions of France and Maison Tchin Tchin perpetuates the gesture of glass and wax craftsmen while highlighting the wine industry.
We invite you to discover our collaboration with Maison Tchin Tchin right here!
