Bougies la Française

When they first got started in 1902, the Denis family’s candles were mostly intended for use in religious ceremonies in the churches surrounding their village, Clisson. After World War I, their manufactury was moved to a former tannery on the banks of the river Sèvre near Nantes, a short distance from the family home. At the time, most candlemakers were using tallow to make their products, with fancy beeswax candles reserved for church use. Bougies la Française was among the first companies to make the change to producing candles out of stearin and paraffin, which burned cleaner than tallow and cost less than beeswax. Over the years, it has become the leading candle house in France.