Derry’s new Pop Up shops: Catriona Hutton’s KOTO Candles

Catriona Hutton is a self-confessed “candle addict”.

She says: “I love lighting a candle at the end of the day, that cosy feeling when you can relax. But I soon realised that they contained things like paraffin wax, which is a by-product of petroleum oil, and other toxic chemicals. I decided to create something that I would be happy to have in my home, and so KOTO Candles was born.”

Catriona’s handmade candles, reed diffusers and aromatherapy wax melts (named Koto, after the Scandinavian word for cosy) use environmentally-friendly, natural raw materials such as rapeseed wax, cotton wick and essential oils.

On production days, IT tutor Catriona’s kitchen now doubles as an aroma-filled laboratory, with a slow cooker simmering away to melt the wax to the perfect temperature.

“There’s a lot of testing involved. I have to try out so many different wicks, test the percentages of essential oils, and sample all the different glasses. There have been tears! But I still love making them.”

KOTO currently has four signature scents, plus a Christmas candle, Sass candle (in conjunction with Derry’s Sass & Halo) and a wedding scent in the pipeline too.

“The Love candle (lavender and ylang ylang) is my favourite,” says Catriona. “I put the diffuser in my bedroom, close the door and when I come up at night the smell is amazing.”

Having previously sold through her website, social media and craft fairs, a place in the RE:IMAGINE pop up gives mum-of-three Catriona the chance to reach more customers.

“It’s a dream come true for my business,” she says.