Allen County
Founder Profile
Derek
Taylor
Business
Simple Nature
Founded
May 2018
$500 Grant Date
November 2018
Idea
To make quality scented products without the extra chemicals.
Small batch candles made using 100% soy wax and phthalate-free oils.
You may have already heard of Simple Nature candles without even realizing it. On June 5, 2019, their Ohio candle went viral because of its signature product description: “Not much to see. Not much to do. Welcome to Ohio, the unscented candle.”
Soon after, the story of a small Indiana company causing outrage in Ohio was picked up by everyone from The New York Times and The Associates Press to local news stations across the midwest and beyond.
Needless to say, Derek Taylor, the creator of Simple Nature candles, was facing a rare that many businesses strive for: virality.
Now, the Ohio candle is often out of stock on Simple Nature’s website. Luckily, the company offers a wide range of candles, reed diffusers, and wax melts that encapsulate the essence of several states in the U.S., some national and international cities, and other circumstances and moments that some may find nostalgic.
The best part? All of Simple Nature’s products are free from the harsh chemicals you may typically find in a candle or other scented products. Each product is made using 100% soy wax and phthalate-free oils, so your home can smell like Fort Wayne, Dusk, Madrid, Waves, and more without the fear of unsafe ingredients.
In addition to pre-made candles, customers also have the option to customize candle scents and names to match any occasion from a birthday to a new baby.
Simple Nature can be found online at their website and is also available for sale at select locations across the country.
Business Updates
Indiana company sparks outrage with unscented ‘Ohio’ candle
CLEVELAND (AP) — An Indiana company is raising the ire of its neighbors in the Buckeye State with its marketing of an unscented Ohio candle with the description, “Not much to see. Not much to do.”
The candle is being sold online by Fort Wayne company Simple Nature.
Candle company trolls Ohio with candle that smells like nothing
It’s Michigan tradition to make fun of Ohio.
One Indiana candlemaker is joining in on the fun.
Simple Nature is a candle company based in Fort Wayne that makes scented candles based on locations around America (and other generic scents such as “pacific” and “mojave”).
This Hoosier candle company may have a scent inspired by your favorite place
Have you ever vacation somewhere and wish you could take a piece of that place home with you? This Hoosier candle company may have the perfect candle for you.
Based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Simple Nature offers all-natural candles with an array of scents, some inspired by cities and states. Each gives a description of the fragrance and the city that inspired it.
Fort Wayne candle company receives national attention over Ohio ‘burn’
A Fort Wayne candle company “burned” its neighboring state with one of their candles. Owner of Simple Nature, Derek Taylor, created the Ohio candle back in December of 2018.
The Ohio is an unscented candle, described as “Not much to see. Not much to do. Welcome to Ohio, the unscented candle.”
“Honestly, I thought it was funny a Hoosier would be making fun of Ohio with those kind of statements, because we’re fairly similar,” says Derek Taylor.
Company owner reacts after controversial “Ohio” candle makes national headlines
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA21) – “Not much to see. Not Much to do. Welcome to Ohio, the unscented candle.”
Fort Wayne-based Simple Nature uses that description for “Ohio”, an unscented candle.
What started as a joke, quickly gained candlemaker Derek Taylor nationwide exposure, after a photographer snapped a picture of the controversial candle that soon went viral online.
Simple Nature: This Fort Wayne company is striving to make the ‘cleanest candle possible’
If you’ve been to Ft. Wayne’s Farmers Market in the last year, then you’ve likely seen—or smelled—a Fort Wayne success story.
Simple Nature Candles is the product of one entrepreneur’s quest to produce and market a soy-based, small-batch, quality candle that doesn’t contain harmful chemicals. But it didn’t start out that way, says the founder Derek Taylor. Actually, it started with soaps.
