Hillside Candle Makes Scents of Memories

Hillside Candle is a candle company focused on fragrance, memories and family. “We offer a carefully curated selection of luxurious scents created from the knowledge my dad gained from his time as head of operations at Yankee Candle,” says co-founder Thomas Hill.

In fact, Hill credits his dad as inspiration for starting the company, which they founded in June 2023. The elder Hill brings decades of experience in the candle business, having spent a decade on the Yankee Candle executive team growing the company. “This means that candles were always part of my life growing up,” says Hill. “It’s been a dream of mine to do something with my dad, so we jumped at the chance when it came time to go back to our roots and bring this to life.”

Fragrances are more than mere olfactory scent. “We create fragrances surrounding memories,” says Hill, explaining, “We think of times we’ve had as a family, with friends, or just out in the world, and pull from those memories to create fragrances we love. Sea Salt and Jasmine for example, reminds us of the times as a family we went to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware. My sister and I use to run up and down the beaches is picking seashells and playing in the water. The scent Havana reminds me of the first Cuban cigar my dad brought back to the U.S. It was my 18th birthday gift. We sat outside having the cigar and chatting.”

The biggest challenges have been getting their name out in the world. “We know the industry in and out, but this is a new piece of our day-to-day tasks we’ve had to consider,” Hill shares. “We’ve leaned on our connections to help get our foot in the door; they guided us on the right pathways and practices that have helped us grow the brand at an accelerated rate.”

“Have fun with it and make sure you love what you do,” is advice co-founder Thomas Hill says he has applied to the company’s curation process for new fragrances and within the continuation of building the brand. “I love candles and their role in making moments and memories for people,” he says, explaining that a lot of the process is building unique fragrances built around memories but also fragrances that can help create those memories.

Hillside Candle currently sells nine different candle fragrances and has more in the testing process it plans to add this year.