One of a precious few gourmet candle manufacturers in the U.S. has recently expanded its operations in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Scent-Sations Inc., a company organized on the direct selling model, has leased 10,000 square feet of warehouse space in the city to augment its 31,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, says VP Charles Umphred.
The success of Scent-Sations, founded in 2002 in Umphred’s basement, has been dramatic. Partnering with longtime venture capital and direct marketing partner Bob Scocozzo, and candlemaker Carmen Milazzo, Umphred says their business has seen annual growth of 30 to 40 percent since 2002. Scent-Sations sales were about $15 million last year and expected to exceed that in 2008.
“Our goal is to be a $100 million company, and there’s a specific reason for that,” says Umphred. “We look at the billion-dollar gourmet candle industry, and we ask ourselves, can we get 10 percent of this growth? Our five-year plan from today is to hit $50 million in sales, and our five-year plan from there is to hit another $50 million.”
Also known as multi-level marketing, direct selling consists of a network of part-time sales reps selling directly to customers, rather than to stores. Scent-Sations now has more than 10,000 sales reps nationwide and employs nearly 100 workers at its headquarters in Wilkes-Barre, where all the company’s candles and other scented products are made.
Scent-Sations’ candles are made with natural waxes that give off less soot than paraffin–a detail that Umphred thinks has been the key to the company’s success.
Source: Charles Umphred, VP Scent-Sations Inc.
Writer: John Davidson
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