Só Soy - Hand Poured Home Fragrance
Get to know a little bit more about Hannah from Só Soy in my new Local Natives blog feature…
I first met Hannah (through Instagram) in 2017 shortly after launching Native Ivy, and have had the privilege of capturing some of her candles and diffusers over the last few years.
It was lovely to be invited to her studio in Ballymoney to capture her everyday work life, making products and running her shop.
After our shoot I chatted to Hannah about how her candle making journey began.
Read more below...
Hello Hannah, can you tell me a little bit about yourself and what inspired you to start making candles?
Hi! I’m Hannah and I started Só Soy in October 2016, so my ‘baby’ is almost 6 years old. I’d always had a love for home fragrance and one day curiosity got the better of me. I struggled to find a minimal candle that I loved the smell of, so I made my own. I have experience in design and knew I wanted the fragrance to do the talking. After a lot of research and kitchen-pours, Só Soy was born. For the first 5 years of Só Soy I kept it solely online as my ‘side-hustle’ until I finally took the leap to self-employment in January 2021. Mid pandemic I left my full time job and opened my own studio in Ballymoney, opening my in-store shop shortly after.
Can you tell me a little bit about your making process and what is involved?
Everything is hand poured by me in my Ballymoney based studio in small batches. Every product starts off raw and is designed, created, and packaged in house by my one-woman-team (just me!). I work with UK based perfumers to select the perfect fragrances for my products. I’ll always consult family and friends and ask them for fragrance reviews, but by that stage I’ve usually already made my mind up!
What does a typical workday look like for you?
To be perfectly honest most days look the same! I’ll usually pack online orders and stockist orders in the morning and make stock in the afternoon. Wax melts are great for multitasking as they’re usually quick to melt and quick to pour, so you’ll normally find me doing those alongside other products. They’re also nearly impossible to keep in stock!
On Saturdays I’ll open the shop from 11-3 and continue to pack and pour behind the curtain between visitors.
In the evenings I’ll normally take my work home with me - and by that I mean updating socials, checking emails, and answering blog questions until late. It can be really hard for me to switch off sometimes, especially if I know there’s things that need doing.
Can you describe your brand in three words?
Hand-crafted
Uncomplicated
Calm
Do you have a product that is most popular with customers?
The most popular product is my Black Coffee, Jasmine + Vanilla Candle (or anything in this fragrance really). It’s always one I’ll have to double-up on when I’m making. It’s so popular and so well loved, I’ll always steer people towards it for gifting if they’re unsure of what to choose. You really do need to smell it to experience it.
What do you think makes it so popular?
I think it’s the perfect fragrance in terms of notes - it’s got subtle hints of coffee, is quite floral, a little sweet but just enough that it’s still sophisticated.
Do you have a favourite product?
At the minute I’ve been grabbing for my Lavender + Tonka Bean Wax Melt - it’s the most relaxing fragrance (maybe this says something about my current stress levels!)
I’ll always have a soft spot though for my Lemongrass, Lime + Ginger Root Candle. It was my first born fragrance so feels a little nostalgic for me.
Do you have anything new or exciting coming up for Só Soy?
I do! I have a new Autumn/Winter fragrance that I’m hoping to release early September across the all products. It’s so cosy and homely, I can’t wait for everyone to smell it. I’m also taking part in the Tedberry Market in Antrim on 20th August, it’s always exciting for me to go out, meet new people and introduce them to Só Soy.
What advice would you give people wanting to do something similar?
Research until the cows come home. My industry is really trial and error - it takes such a long time to really perfect your ratios and temperatures etc. and there are a lot of safety laws and legislations required. I’m lucky I’m in the swing of things now and can work quickly and confidently but there’s lots of helpful information online for those just starting - I’m completely self taught.
I also think you need to have the passion before you start - I LOVE my products and I genuinely love getting up for work every day. You need to ask yourself are you starting a business for the right reasons.
Where can people buy your products?
You can shop in store each Saturday 11am-3pm or book online for a weekday visit. Find me at Unit 17 Phase 1, 2 Riada Avenue, Ballymoney Co. Antrim BT53 7LH
Thanks to Hannah for taking the time out of her busy week to answer some questions about her business and how her Só Soy journey all began.
You can shop online at sosoy.co.uk for home delivery or free click + collect in store.
Follow Só Soy on Instagram
Read my last Local Natives feature with Ivy & Gold here
ASTRL Fibres
A small insight into my photoshoot with Alison. A Belfast based Macramé Artist.
Last week I had the pleasure of photographing ASTRL Fibres. A local Belfast based business making and selling Macramé products.
Meeting and working with Alison these last couple of weeks has been a blast! I love chatting to her about what she does, her working process and also just having general life conversation in between shots.
Alison makes beautiful Macramé products for your home. As I have said before.. I am a little bit house plant obsessed! So of course I jumped at the chance to work with Alison and to capture her amazing handmade home-ware and accessories in her cozy space in Studio Souk.
I loved watching Alison zone into making her macramé plant holder and I was fascinated by each fold and knot of string and rope she uses to create these beautiful home items. So much time and precision is used to make each piece, the whole process was so interesting to watch and capture!
It is so special to know and learn how much time and work goes into independently made products and to have the opportunity to support that.
Flaxfox
Danielle from Flax Fox is an Artist and Illustrator based in Belfast.
Ahhh the feeling when you finally get to work with someone you have been following for years... That's how I feel about Danielle from FlaxFox.
Danielle is an artist living in Belfast, she mostly sketches iconic buildings and landmarks around Northern Ireland. She sells her drawings as giclee prints and as original screenprints. These reproductions are also printed onto tea towels, mugs and postcards.
Danielle has a stall set up at St. Georges market every weekend. She also sells her products in lots of local galleries and gift shops around Northern Ireland such as Yard Gallery, Studio Souk and In Klover.
One of the top things I love about photographing local makers is being able to see a tiny glimpse into their world, where they work and how they work.
When I go to an artist or a makers space to take photographs I never quite know what to expect but meeting Danielle at her lovely home in Belfast was beyond what I was hoping for.
As I followed her through her hallway (with dream floor tiles) and into her home, meeting a little human on the way, we stopped at her garden studio that she shares with her videographer husband Ben.
Stepping into Danielle's outdoor studio was a a dream. Her work space was full of character. Pieces she has been working on, complete paintings, paints, brushes and chalks all the tools she needs to create her wonderful original drawings.
It was hard not to get carried away chatting to Danielle as I photographed her making some adjustments to some paintings she has already started, she talks to passionately about what she does and she gladly told me how it all began for her and Flax Fox Designs.
Danielle does it all, as well as creating reproductions and original art pieces she also designs big commissions for businesses. In her spare time her passion is still burning as she loves to think and create new ideas that aren't necessarily for anyone else but to create time that is her own to put onto paper the ideas that have been inspiring her.
Danielle's work carries with it a sense of nostalgia. People love to buy something that reminds them of a place they have fond memories of and she loves drawing those places. Whether its a bar in Belfast or an iconic landscape in Ireland. If there is one person that understands that feeling of connecting to something it's this talented lady right here.
To keep up to date with Flax Fox follow Danielle on Instagram and Facebook.
Keep an eye on Native Ivy Instagram for more photos from this shoot.
Thanks for Reading.
R