Our Story

About Us

I’m Tamzan, founder and maker behind The Tamar Valley Candle Company.

This little business began with a flicker of light in every sense of the word.

I wasn’t supposed to be a mum. Not according to the doctors.

I spent most of my life believing children weren’t part of my story and then, suddenly, they were. I found out I was 27 weeks pregnant and gave birth just 11 weeks later.

There was no time to plan. No gentle build-up. Just a whirlwind of emotion, medical appointments, fear, and love.

Theo arrived just before I turned 40. He’s the greatest gift I’ve ever received but the shift into motherhood was overwhelming.

I wasn’t ready. And while I smiled and coped on the outside, inside I was really struggling. I didn’t know who I was anymore. I felt like I was drowning in the dark.

That Christmas, my husband Iain gave me a candle-making kit, a small, thoughtful gift, a creative outlet. It turned out to be the thing that helped me find my way back.
There’s something about the stillness of it, the scent, the slow process, the care that gave me space to breathe again.

That light, quite literally, lead me through the darkness. And now, it’s woven into everything we make. And slowly, over time, that flicker became this business.

At The Tamar Valley Candle Company, we create slow-crafted candles and wax melts from our home studio in Cornwall.

Every product is hand-poured by us, using vegan ingredients, plastic-free packaging, and thoughtful scent blends designed to truly fill a room. We don’t follow trends or churn out generic dupes.

Instead, we craft fragrances with soul, grounded in real moments and born from stories. Our fragrances are curated to evoke a feeling, to anchor you in the moment, spark a memory, or bring a little more calm to your day

This business was born from one of the hardest chapters in my life, our lives and it matters to me that something good comes from that story.

Once we become profitable, 5% of all profits will be donated to the PANDAS Foundation UK, helping parents find support through postnatal depression. 

It’s our quiet commitment to lighting the path for someone else.

Tamzan & Iain x